Bloodline
by gorblimey2
Summary: Vampires exist? House has trouble accepting the fact that the Hematologist he's harassing is a vampire. Is it love or is he mesmerized? Biting romance.
1. Chapter 1

**copyright K Brogan 2009**

**Dear Readers, I don't know why, but I put in marks to break up a chapter when we switch scenes, but those marks don't come through...so if you're wondering why you jump from one scene to the other without warning, it's because the marks don't come out on FFIC. I haven't read through the whole story on ffic to delineate the chapter breaks, but I'm going to try putting space and some xxx's between the ones I do catch while I'm reviewing certain chapters. SORRY!**

**Bloodline**

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning**

"Doctor, the Baxter's scullery maid is havin' her baby!" The boy yelled as he bent over to catch his breath, his chest heaving from having run so far. "She's been tryin' since late last night. The midwife told me to fetch you."

The breathless youngster had run several miles to retrieve him, but the doctor wasn't able to leave Margaret McCarthy, who was also giving birth. Mrs. McCarthy was on her fourth child so the birthing was going as smooth as butter, but it was still at a crucial point and the doctor wasn't sure he should leave.

The older woman helping him signaled that she could handle the birth; Mrs. McCarthy wasn't going to be any trouble. He nodded and cleaned up before grabbing his bag and making his way out to his horse which stood stoically,shivering in the storm, waiting to take the doctor to his next call. He motioned to the wet boy, whose clothes were little more than rags.

"Get on lad, you can ride on back." Reaching down, he gave the young boy a hand up. Climbing on, the child clung to the doctor's waist as they rode full speed into the Irish night, both of their heads were tilted down to keep the driving rain out of their eyes.

Doctor O'Sullivan knew he wasn't going to make it in time. The black night and driving rain had flooded most of the left bank of the lower river, making both the bridge and the road impossible to cross. He decided to try the long way around, about two miles north, but it was still going to be a difficult journey because even the north road had a low section that was sure to be flooded.

When he arrived, there was an eerie silence and darkness throughout the house. He could only make out one lamp in an upper window on the third floor. The maid who answered the front door was somber and wouldn't raise her eyes to meet his.

"Girl, how's the patient?"

"Dead, sir." She reached up with her apron to wipe her tears.

The shock caused the doctor to cry out, "_Dead?" _Taking a deep breath, he asked, "_What about the child?"_

The woman wiped the blood away from her hands and nodded. "She's alive, sir. She's a pretty little thing."

He looked down and shook his head. "Well, you better take me to them."

They walked through the dark manor hall, their steps only lit by a single lantern she carried, to the back servant's stairs to the third floor. Climbing the narrow wooden steps, he could hear the faint cry of an infant. On the top landing were blood-stained sheets rolled up into a ball. The doctor pushed the door open and saw a room lit by candles and two middle aged women crying. The body was wrapped in a sheet which the doctor pulled apart to check the dead woman's pulse. Once the heart stopped pumping, blood followed the laws of gravity; her face was translucent from the blood draining and pooling in her back. He had no doubts that she was dead; there was nothing he could do for her so Dr. O'Sullivan turned his attention to the infant.

She was lying in the middle drawer of an old oak dresser next to her dead mother, wrapped in a purple and green woolen shawl. A pretty baby, she was pink and rosy, blond hair, lovely blue eyes. She wasn't crying, just staring up trying to focus on him. He listened to her heart and chest, both clear as a bell and then put his stethoscope away.

"What was the mother's name?"

The charwoman sniffed, "Rose Broderick from County Mayo. She arrived here nigh on eight months ago. The master didin' know she was with child when they hired her."

"Did she have family?"

The older of the two women shook her head, "None that I know of sir. Sir, what will become of the bairn?"

"She'll go to the orphanage. Do you have anyone who can nurse her until we can make the arrangements?"

They shook their heads.

"Well, Mrs. McCarthy just gave birth; maybe she can nurse her until arrangements can be made. You better wrap the baby up and let me take her; she's going to need to be fed. Tell the Baxters that we'll send someone to pick up the body as soon as the storm blows through. Put it in the cellar where it can be kept cool. "

The almost toothless maid shook her head in disbelief. "But doctor, you can't take a baby out in this weather."

"It's either this weather or she dies of starvation. They say the storm is only going to get worse tomorrow."

The two women said no more. They simply swaddled the rosy cheeked baby into the shawl and handed her up to the doctor who was now straddled on his mount. He took her into his arms and quickly tied her to the front of his body in a sturdy sling. They galloped off into the night, the winds so strong that the rain felt like little needles against his skin. The river had risen even higher, making passage even along the north route treacherous.

As he came galloping down the hill, his horse whinnied and railed up against an unknown terror. The surprised doctor craned his neck to see what was causing his horse to bolt, but all he saw was the dark and the rain. No matter what he did, his horse would go no further. He was about to get down and lead the horse, when there was a hollow screech and then a large swooshing movement in front of him. He had no idea what it was; it was so dark and windy that he had a hard time seeing down the path that lay ahead.

"Is there someone there?" He yelled into the wind, his heart racing and chills running down his spine.

A dark figure seemed to appear from the ether. The thin man in evening clothes walked forward towards the doctor. He gave a curt nod. "Good evening, Doctor." The mysterious man tipped his top hat slightly.

The doctor called out, "Damn it man, you gave my horse a scare. We could have been killed. Step aside I have important business to attend to."

The man said nothing at first. The wind roared, but the rain had stopped, but the doctor's horse was still bucking.

"You have my daughter." The mysterious man took several steps forward, his evening cape flying in the wind behind him.

The doctor felt the hair on his neck raise. "Your daughter?"

"Yes, I am her father. Her mother, Rose…she was my lover. Please hand her over."

"I can't do that. I don't know you and I certainly cannot entrust the care of a newborn to a stranger."

The doctor didn't have a chance to say another word. It happened in a flash, the feel of hands pulling him off the horse, a strange feeling in his neck. Within a matter of seconds, he could feel his life leaving his body and yet he didn't feel any pain. Lying in the middle of a puddle in the dirt road with water up to his ears, all he could see was the rain starting again and then there was nothing.

The tall man in the top hat held the mewing infant tightly to his body. He took a knife from his pocket and made a small cut across the outer part of his wrist. Blood began to ooze. Holding his wrist to the baby's pink lips, the blood dripped into her open mouth. "Come Acushla, let's go home."


	2. Chapter 2

**Princeton Today**

**Chapter 2**

**Bloodwork**

"I'm already running three tests at once! Get the lab to run it." Foreman grunted, exasperated and tired. The team had been up twenty-six hours straight and tempers were short.

"Meow, phftt." House sneered, but soon realized that Foreman was right, the team had too much to do. House relented, "Yeah, okay,okay. Just get your tests done. I'll find someone in the lab to run this one."

"At 2:30 am? Whoever's in the lab is probably swamped with emergency priorities." Thirteen commented, her eyes red from looking through the microscope.

House grabbed the two vials of blood and hobbled down the corridor in search of someone to run the tests. He called the lab and discovered that the lab tech had gone home sick and they were sending all their 'rushes' to Parker Laboratory in Plainsboro.

_Crap! _He turned and walked back to his desk, picking up the phone and speed dialing Cuddy at home.

A groggy voice answered. "Hello?"

"I need a lab tech _now!_" He barked without introduction.

"House? What?" She paused to think. Finding her bearings, she groaned,"You have three lackeys, get them to do it."

"They're all busy playing spin the bottle. Your lab tech went home with the crabs. I need someone down here _now_."

"You run it."

"I'm not paid to run routine blood analysis. Besides, I think I might throw up if I have to look at blood…brrr."

There was a deep sigh and then a tsk. Cuddy made a suggestion,"Have you asked Kiara Larkin?"

"The Mole?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Everyone calls her that. She stays down in that lab of hers all night long without coming up for air. I think the last time she saw her shadow we had six more weeks of winter."

"She's the best hematologist researcher around; we're damn lucky to have her. Kiara brings in a lot of research money to this hospital, more than you do. She even has a larger staff than you, which she supports with her grants."

"Who refuse to work with her."

"They don't refuse to work with her, they just work the day shift; she works at night-alone."

"I never understood how that worked. Can I put my team on graveyard so that I don't have to see their ugly mugs…well two of the their ugly mugs, the other is—"

Cuddy sighed with frustration into the receiver. "Dr. Larkin's staff's shifts overlap once a week and they teleconference. It works. She's had the same staff for five years, more than you can say. You need someone to run some blood-work and she's there tonight. It's a match made in heaven. Goodnight, House."

He heard the click and put the phone down. Sitting back, he thought about the famous Hematologist that had worked graveyard for as long as she had been at PPTH. The staff called her the Mole because her labs were down in the basement, by choice, and she always worked the graveyard shift. According to Wilson, she told him that she chose the basement because she wanted to be away from the noise and traffic of the hospital; but most people were convinced that she was just a mole, preferring her own company to that of others.

House grabbed the vials and hobbled off to the furthest end of the hospital and then took the stairs down to B2. The lower basement reminded him of a Las Vegas Casino because it had no windows, just a greenish perpetual day from all the fluorescent lights. Few came down to this part of the building because it housed the Hematology Research lab and nothing more. The corridor linoleum retained its glossy sheen from the little traffic that wandered through. He paused at the door marked 'Research Laboratory B2-104'. Looking through the little window in the door, he saw no one. The floor of the lab had to be reached by going down five metal steps inside the door. Looking down, he could see that most of the lab counters were dark with the exception of one against the opposite wall. It was clear from the scattered paperwork, computer screen and lack of a Bunsen Burner, that it was the supervisor's post. He could barely see a glass office with a light on in the back. _She must be back there._ House yawned from his lack of sleep and opened the door.

_Kiara_

I was happily engrossed in the results of our new findings. We had been researching the use of Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of leukemia. The treatment would allow us to use the stem cells of mis-matched relatives, those who wouldn't normally qualify to give bone marrow for a transplant. I was already drafting the abstract for The Journal of Hematology and Oncology in my head, weighing the best way to begin the paper, when I felt _it_.

My blood pressure fell like a boulder off a cliff causing my peripheral view to blacken. I could smell him before I could see him. I tried hard to turn around to look at him, but I was growing weaker, slumping over slightly. I didn't want him to see or know how weak I was, but the more I tried, the harder it was to keep from passing out. I took a deep breath and concentrated hard, managing to steady myself against the desk and turn to look up at him.

It was House, the misanthropic doctor that I had seen from afar dozens of times but had never spoken to. A friend of my favorite Oncologist, Dr. James Wilson, Gregory House was known for being rude and creating havoc wherever he went. House was the last person I would have expected to have been of Guardian stock since he had no morals from what I had been told. In the five years that I had been at PPTH, I had had on a brief interaction with him so I wondered what brought him down to the lab unless, of course, it was to do what Guardians do.

He stared at me as if I had spewed fire from my mouth. He was one of those guys that had been extremely good looking, but now his hair was thinning, his face was lined and he dressed like a homeless man in a wrinkled cotton shirt and old levis. The only thing new on him were his shoes, Nikes, with orange and silver stripes across them. The shoes were flashy and eye catching, but they didn't compare to the mezmerizing blue of his eyes. They were bluer than my father's and my father was known for having the bluest eyes in County Mayo. Despite his appearance, there was still an attractiveness. He was handsome for a man his age.

"Doctor House, I really don't have time for interruptions. Could you come back tomorrow when my staff is in?"

He slammed two vials of blood on the counter almost breaking them. "The lab rat went home sick. Cuddy told me to have you run this."

"_Me? Why me?" _I was genuinely angry and confused at the same time. Angry that I had been relegated to a lab tech when I had just made a significant contribution to the future of Hematology and confused because Lisa Cuddy had never asked me to do a single thing except deliver the occasional paper and present it at a conference. Asking me to be a lackey to the excruciatingly narcissistic House was very out of character for her.

His eyes flashed and I thought he was going to bite my head off the way he bared his teeth and pitched slightly forward. "_Maybe because you're a Hematologist?_ You know…the study of _blood_ or have you forgotten what it's like to get your hands dirty?"

I didn't budge. He must have noticed that I wasn't impressed, because I didn't pick up the vials. He winced and shrugged his shoulders, deciding to try a new tactic. His voice softened, "The rumor has it that you have a sixth sense about blood; you know what's wrong with it before the tests are done. My patient is dying and I have my hommies running tests on just about any organ that secretes something. I need someone to run the blood. Do you mind _doing your job?_"

He said it with so much venom I immediately became defensive. "Dr. House, you're here. Why don't you run it? I'll even warm up the centrifuge."

He grinned at me, knowing somehow that he had won. "I'll be back in forty-five minutes. If you get something before that, call me."

He turned his back and as he started to leave I couldn't believe I was asking him, "What's your extension?"

"2-3-5." He gave me a little salute and was up the stairs and out the door.

The air came back into the room and I could breathe again. I looked around to make sure he wasn't lurking up on the other side of the door. When I realized that he was gone I opened the first vial and poured a little onto the tip of my finger, touching it to my tongue. The heavy taste told me one thing, the man had hemachromatosis, but there was also something else. I called House.

"Yeah?"

"It's Dr. Larkin."

"Larkin? Larkin? Oh, the Mole. _You have something? I just got back to my office!"_ The surprise in his voice made me realize that I should have given it more time before calling. He was going to suspect something.

"No, it's just that there's no name on the vials. Who is the patient?" I wasn't lying, but then it really wasn't why I called.

"Robin Sanders, male. Room 412. Call me as soon as you get something."

"I can tell you one thing. He has Hemochromatosis."

"You've already run the tests?" His voice was so full of suspicion that I winced.

"You said I had a gift, you can trust me on this." I hung up and actually started the tests on the blood. After ten minutes, but before the actual tests were done, I called him back with all of the details of what I had tasted. "He also has Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura."

"_TTP?"_ There was a deep silence. "Yeah, that would make sense if you combine it with the Hemochromatosis. Send me the results."

"Yes, master." I hung up.

Greg House smiled to himself as he hung up the phone. She was odd and he wasn't sure exactly what it was that made her odd, but it was almost as if the air sparked with a current when she was around. House unconsciously smiled and leaned back in his chair before calling his team. Images of her walking through the halls popped into his head. He only saw her around whenever he pulled an all-nighter. In five years he could count on his ten fingers and have some left over the number of times they had passed in a hall or shared an elevator.

She was pretty—pretty enough to warrant a second look when he first passed her. She had long, blond, almost reddish hair, average height, freckled, but strangely almost translucent, flawless skin. He did note that there was nothing average about her legs—he wouldn't mind running his hand up them all the way to the fleshy part of her thigh. Her figure had always been hidden by a lab coat, but she appeared to be average build, nothing to be ashamed of.

The entrance of his team snapped him back to his patient and the diagnosis. Her results were emailed to him an hour later. He really didn't need them now except to make the file look pretty. They had already begun treatment and it was working, so House was ready to go home. It was just past four in the morning and he needed sleep-lots of it. The patient was responding to medication and House was heading through the lobby as he tied the wool scarf around his neck. The wind bashed against his face as he opened the glass doors and stepped out under the overhang. He had a short walk to his car next to the sign that bore his name and a blue handicapped placard. Looking around, he saw a figure walking.

It was the Mole. She had her laptop bag over her shoulder, and was headed into the parking lot walking parallel to him. Either she hadn't noticed him or was trying to avoid contact because she stared straight ahead without acknowledging his presence.

"Hey! Hey!" He yelled at her as he reached his car.

She turned with a scowl on her face. "Yes?"

"Good work."

She looked puzzled which baffled him.

He reminded her, "On my blood tests."

Her face relaxed and she nodded. "Just doing my job."

"Yeah, but it was damn quick. You probably saved the guy's life." He unlocked the door to his car as she opened up the leather bags on a motor scooter.

Laughing, he yelled, "You ride a kiddie bike?"

"And you drive a 1988 Dodge Dynasty? That's not even a classic."

"Hey, it keeps me warm-which begs the question, 'Why are you riding a scooter in the middle of winter?'"

"It gets me where I'm going." She put her helmet on and gave him a smile before driving off into the cold, dark winter night.

He slammed his door and took off out of the parking lot. When he made his right turn towards his apartment, he came up beside her as she putted on her way home at a crisp, cold speed of 27 miles per hour. They both came to a light and he rolled down his window.

"Hey, it has to be 30 degrees out. You want to park that thing and I'll give you a ride?"

She stopped the scooter and shook her head. "Dr. House, I've spent five years happily staying off your radar. I know all about you. You've driven by me in the rain, snow, sleet and hail without stopping or giving me a second thought. I'd really prefer if you'd forget that tonight happened. I liked our relationship the way it was." In a way, she knew it was the worst thing she could say to him, but she was frustrated and had a bad feeling that no matter what she said or did, she was now squarely in Gregory House's sites.

He grinned. As he slowly rolled up his window he gave her a maniacal, "Mwahahaaa." Gunning the engine, he drove off into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Bloodbrothers**

When he first came into the room that night, it was his smell that hit me and caused my disorientation. There was no mistaking the sweet seductive aroma. If there are a lot of others around even a strong smell like his gets masked, blended with everyone else's, especially in a hospital where there are so many smells around. The common people mask the smell of the not so common and also the truly rare like House. His delectable odor had caused my knees to buckle and made it hard to concentrate at first. Once I was used to the smell, I recovered, but until I gain control, it's hard for me to do anything.

As he drove off into the night I shook my head and concentrated on the drive home. I live six miles from PPTH and by the time I saw my building, it had started snowing. The sky was still dark as I descended the six steps into my flat. I opened the door and turned on the light as Chakra came to greet me. I picked her up and scratched behind the ears. She rewarded me with a very loud purr to encourage me to continue the scratching. I fed her and then stayed up to do some chores. When the sun came up, I closed the black-out curtains and continued to fold my clothes and watch the Today Show. When it was over at eleven, I grabbed Chakra and we curled up in bed together and slept like the dead.

At six pm, I woke, showered, ate a banana and hopped on my scooter, leaving Chakra curled up on the couch. I arrived at work, walking past Dr. Cuddy's office which was lit by several lamps. She was sitting behind her desk watching the door as if she had been waiting for someone to walk by. She waved to me to come in and so I stopped in my tracks, looked around to see if there was someone else she might be signaling, but there wasn't. She wanted me, which was odd; Lisa Cuddy rarely asked to see me in her office. She always came to me, sent an email or phoned me if she needed something.

I opened the door and poked my head inside, giving her office a quick glance over. I hadn't been in it since it was refurbished over a year ago. It was very 'Lisa', smart, sophisticated and expensive. She motioned for me to take a seat so I walked over and sat gingerly in the seat in front of her desk.

Lisa looked stunning in a champagne colored St. John's suit with a low cut silk blouse. I was pretty sure the shoes were Manolos with their four inch heels and gorgeous kid leather uppers. They triggered a memory of a beautiful pair of kid leather ankle boots with pearl buttons up the sides that had been given to me in Ireland on my twentieth birthday by my father. They were my favorite shoes, I adored them. My father had purchased them in Paris and brought them home after one of his many trips.

I smiled at Lisa, trying to encourage her to say what she had to say so that I could make my way to my office and begin the task of finishing my treatise. "You're here awfully late," I offered to get the ball going.

"I'm so sorry, Kiara. I told him to have you run the test without thinking. I should have known that it would trigger something. He's asking questions about you. When he does that, I have to warn you, he's starting to fixate. He's going to be in your life for awhile, but after a few days, maybe a week, he'll focus on someone or something else. You just have to ride it out. I'm really, really sorry." She seemed genuinely sorry and worried that she had put me in House's crosshairs.

I was mildly pissed, but I tried not to show it. "I assume you mean House. What can I expect?"

"Your life to be hell for a few days. He'll make rude comments, delve into your life, cross boundaries. But, if you lead a boring life, you have nothing to worry about. He gets bored quickly. When he does, he moves on."

_Boring life? If I lead a boring life he'll go away. Define boring? I'm going to have to lay low until this jerk-off gets tired of me. Unfortunately, I'm hungry and I need to eat. Christ, I'll have to--_

"Kiara? Did you hear me? If he acts up too much, just call me."

I nodded and cleared my throat, "Putting that aside, I'm almost ready to publish our results and send them through the peer review board."

Her face and shoulders perked up at the sound of my good news. "Will you be ready for next year's conference?"

"Hopefully, if we get it through peer review, it should be ready for the Hematology and Oncology conference in London. I'll keep you posted."

"The result of your findings--is it good news?"

I nodded. "Very good news. I think it will put PPTH on the map…if you're an Oncologist or Hematologist."

"Does Dr. Wilson know about this? His department should be brought up to speed so that he can field any questions."

She was right of course, but I hadn't thought past getting the paper to peer review. "I plan to get him up to speed once the paper is written."

"Great, he'll be very happy to hear your good news."

I didn't doubt that. Dr. Wilson was a decent man and a very talented Oncologist. More talented than he was given credit. He was overshadowed by House, people made the unflattering assumption that James Wilson was the genius's lame sidekick, which was far from true. Wilson was a gifted Oncologist with a knack of saving more people than most. We had a pleasant, but distant relationship as colleagues. Frankly, I had a pleasant, but distant relationship with everyone at the hospital. Working graveyard wasn't conducive to making new friends on or off the job, but that was fine with me. I have enough old friends that I'm not worried about adding to my list.

Walking to the elevator I felt tired and groggy. It happened when I got hungry. I punched B2 and as the elevator descended two floors, I thought about what I would do tonight. I'd try to finish the paper so that I could then review the abstract to see if it still makes as much sense to me as when I was writing it last week.

_When I'm done with it, I'll send it to Dr. Wilson and Dr. Kamal to review it for any suggestions or changes. Once I get it—what's going on?_

The lab was lit up like a Christmas tree with the ceiling and spot lamps all turned on, an absolute no-no because I liked coming into the dim light of the low wattage counter lights and my staff knew that. I flung open the door and there he sat in a roller chair, long legs up on the counter of the supervisor's desk, hands behind his head.

"This place ain't so bad when you turn the lights on. Don't you feel cheerful already?"

I walked around turning off the spot lamps and overhead lights. "Dr. House, is there a purpose to your madness?"

"I wanted to treat you to lunch, or is it dinner, or is it breakfast? At this time of night I get all mixed up."

"I just got here. I don't get a break for four hours. Go home Dr. House, just please go home. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want lunch or dinner or breakfast from or with you."

"Wilson says you're brilliant. I said you must not be because you can't even find a light switch or ask for a better shift."

"I prefer the dark, that way when assholes show up, they don't look so bad."

House pulled his feet down, but he kept the grin. "Dr. Larkin, are you calling me an asshole?"

"If the disparagement fits…"

He got up. "I came offering gifts of gratitude and you slander me? What did I ever do to you?"

"You walked through my door."

"Yeah, I'm like bubble gum, I stick to everything."

"Don't worry, I have acetone and ice."

He narrowed his eyes while his grin grew more mischievous. It was as if he was studying me. I've been studied before so I simply went about my business and went back to my office which sits in the back of the lab. I heard the loud clang of the lab door slamming. I poked my head out and noted that he was gone, but there was a single flower left behind, a Cal lily. It was a beautiful gold with an orange red rim. It was gorgeous, so beautiful in its curves and simplicity of line that I had to admire his taste in selecting it.

I needed nourishment. The smell of House two nights in a row was like the smell of a Porterhouse steak cooking on a grill. I was ravenous and my hunger was draining me, making it very hard to concentrate. Thank God it was the weekend. It was Thursday night and for me, the end of the week. I worked Sunday nights so that I could have Friday and Saturday nights off.

After a very unproductive night (having been distracted by House and my hunger) I made my way up to the fourth floor to leave a draft of my abstract for Dr. Wilson. As I went past Dr. House's office I stopped to look inside and had to smile, there was a big felt ball, a harmonica and a copy of Penthouse on his desk, the centerfold unfolded. I had met a lot of bizarre men in my life; in fact, I had met more than my share of bizarre men in my life, but he was the strangest human I had encountered in years. From what I had heard through the hospital grapevine, he was allowed to get away with murder because he was so good at what he did. Occasionally, I heard gossip at the nurse's desk about his exploits, but not very often, mainly because I didn't spend much time around the nurse's station and also because he wasn't brought up that often. However, I did hear all the rumors when he was shot by a mysterious man as well as his futile attempt to save Dr. Wilson's girlfriend. I had been asked to consult on the case involving the girlfriend, but I wasn't much use. I simply ruled out that it wasn't a hematological condition and then gave my results to House's team. There was also a flurry of gossip not too long ago when he was suspended from practice after a stint in the loony bin. According to the buzz, the stint had been preceded by an outburst in which he claimed to be sleeping with Lisa Cuddy. I know it took him awhile to get his license back and during that time he had to live with Dr. Wilson, although I'm not sure why.

I went home and slept for a full eight, waking up feeling as if I hadn't been asleep at all. I was still hungry and kept thinking about that Porterhouse steak and couldn't take it anymore. At nine pm I put on my shrink wrap dress, the one that pushes and pulls your body in all the right places to give you the figure you wish you had. I then found my gold 'screw-me' shoes in the back of my closet and slipped my almost translucent feet into them. I pinned my hair up, letting some of it fall around my shoulders to emphasize my shoulder dimples, something which a lot of men find attractive. At work I didn't wear make-up or provocative blouses like Lisa Cuddy. Frankly, who was going to notice on the graveyard shift? But, when I wanted to, I could look very attractive and by the time I left the house Friday night, I knew I looked hot.

As soon as I stepped outside I got a whiff of his smell. When I'm hungry, my senses are heightened. House could have been there hours before, left and I would have still have smelled his lingering scent. My eyes canvassed the entire area but I didn't see him even though I had better vision at night. Still, I felt as if he was somewhere around me. I didn't have time to keep looking for House so I jumped into my car and began the hunt for a meal. I was hungry.

There are dozens of bars in Princeton, but I didn't target the student bars. I was still attractive to young men, having fielded numerous advances by the young bucks at PPTH, but the young college clowns weren't that attractive to me. I liked men who had been around the world, seen a few things, appreciated women who had brains and weren't just looking for sex. Not that older men don't appreciate sex, it's just that you have a better chance finding a man who appreciates the whole woman—a man who knows that there's a lot of time to fill after you have sex.

Walking into my favorite hunting grounds, The Yankee Doodle Tap Room, I sauntered up to the bar and deliberately took a seat on a stool in the middle, crossing my legs and exposing some upper thigh. It didn't take long before a drink appeared in front of me from a handsome gray haired man who I soon found out was a professor of physics at Princeton. I was impressed, he wasn't just a geek; he was a charismatic geek and good looking. His smell was weak so I suspected he was probably one of the more common groups. That was fine, I wasn't looking for anything gourmet, just plain old nourishment.  
I went to the bathroom to put a fresh coat of lipstick on, check my makeup and get ready to charm. But when I came out, the geek was gone and sitting in his spot was Gregory House.

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

I took my seat. "I'll bite." I said secretly laughing to myself at the boldness of his move. "What happened to my admirer?"

"He's not a fan of Herpes, which I told him you gave me last week when you charged me $1,000 for the privilege of buying you a drink."

I tried not to laugh or show any emotion that might encourage him. "So you told him I was a whore?"

"Who uses the word 'whore' anymore? I told him you were a ho."

Grabbing my purse, I left a twenty for the bartender, a friend of mine, and started to leave.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't just leave after I took such good care of you. That guy's frontal lobe was clearly flat. He's pretty low on the food chain. You know, mentally challenged."

"He is a physicist at Princeton. I don't think he's low on anyone's food chain." I turned again to leave. I needed to get rid of House and find fresh territory. I was still hungry.

He slid off his stool, signed the credit card slip and left a tip on the bar. Chasing after me, he caught up in the parking lot. "How would you like to come over to my place for a drink?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dr. House, I'm not attracted to you." Not exactly true, I was not only attracted to his tall, lanky body, gorgeous blue eyes and incredible brain, but more importantly he smelled like a Porterhouse steak to me (metaphorically of course) and I was hungry. But, it was never a good idea to eat in your own back yard. Especially as we tend to be messy eaters.

"I didn't ask you back to my place for a screw. It's just a drink."

_A drink? I'm going to be sitting in a small room with a Porterhouse steak and I haven't eaten for weeks? You must be joking. On the other hand. You are the one who screwed up my best chance to feed. Maybe one little drink and a quick bite would be okay. _"A drink? Just a drink?" I said in a voice that clearly warned him that there would be nothing more.

"We'll start with a drink, but if your body ends up in another part of the apartment, I won't kick you out."

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. However, the laugh was on him, I figured if he knew what he smelled like to me, he wouldn't be inviting me home with him.

_He deserves it. If anyone deserves it, he does._

"Fine, where do you live?"

"Follow me."

The party moved to his place. He opened the door to his ground-floor apartment and motioned for me to step in, but I couldn't physically move, not yet. Frustrated, he shook his head, "Is there a problem? Do I smell funny?"

"Are you inviting me inside?"

"I thought I already had." He walked inside and then turned to look back at me as I stood at the threshold. "Come on in."

I smiled and stepped forward into the room. It was actually quite charming with its fireplace, grand piano, musical instruments, lithographs, expensive native rugs. It was messy, but in an endearing way. Medical journals, empty glasses, pistachio shells in unused ashtrays, and papers all littered the living room. I made my way to the Italian leather sofa and sat down at the far end.

He poured himself a generous portion of Maker's Mark. "What can I get you?"

_Oh, if you only knew what I really wanted. You're going to be full of alcohol soon. I wish you'd slow down. I'm not that fond of Maker's Mark._

"Water?"

He squinted and frowned. "Water? How am I going to get into your pants if you just drink water?"

"Well, I'm here. Maybe you should try subtle persuasion."

He brought me a bottle of water and then sat down on the couch. "You clean up well. Why don't you wear this to work? More people would be willing to work graveyard."

"Dr. House—"

"Greg."

"Greg. Why are you interested in me? You haven't given me the time of day for the last five years."

"Well, when you were just the Mole, you didn't seem so interesting. But, when you became Kiara Larkin, wonder-hematologist, I had to find out more."

"I really, really am boring."

"I really, really find that difficult to believe. Have you ever been married?"

"No. You?"

"No. Live with someone?"

I smiled and thought hard about my answer. The truth was that I had lived with numerous men. "Yes."

"How long?"

"There have been a few, but the longest was—" I knew I had to lie so I paused to think of the best answer. "Six years. You? I heard that you and the attorney--uh, I forgot her name, the one that was working at PPTH a few years ago—were an item."

"Were-- past tense. We lived together for five years." He told me a little about their relationship, opening up enough that I felt as if I needed to reciprocate. "This guy…the one you lived with for six years, what did he do for a living?"

_The million dollar question. _

I hunched my shoulders and winced. "He did nothing. He didn't need to work."

"Oh, rich, huh?"

Nodding was the easiest way out of having to describe why he didn't have to work. I was surprised when he asked nothing more about him. Instead he asked me why I worked graveyard.

"My circadian clock has always been messed up. I sleep better when it's daylight. I have sensitive skin and it's uncomfortable for me to be in the sun."

"Porphyria?"

I shook my head, "Not that drastic, but it is uncomfortable. I burn easily."

Over the next hour, we both discovered that we had lived in Egypt and Italy. He asked about Japan, but, although I had traveled through it, I had never lived there. I had lived in India for a few years, but he hadn't been there.

"Actually, I only spent six months in India. The remaining two years were in Nepal." I said.

"Nepal! As in Mt. Everest?"

"Nah, it was so long ago that Mt. Everest was a hill."

He snickered, appreciating my attempt at humor. "For a Mole, you get out a lot. How did you do in Nepal at night?"

"Fine. I'm used to being out at night."

We spent another hour talking about different hemophilic diseases and one of his more recent patients. There was a lot of teasing and we laughed quite a bit. I found him more engaging than I thought he could be. As we spoke, it dawned on me that he was quite good looking. I hadn't realized just how sexy he was because I equated Greg House with the devil incarnate. And here he was, trying hard to relate, reacting somewhere between a shy geek and malicious schemer. He really was quite interesting and I think he found me interesting too.

After a trip to the bathroom, he sat down and leaned in to kiss me, his mouth opening slightly. I could smell the Maker's Mark mixed with the fresh Colgate toothpaste as he came forward. Tilting my head, I opened my mouth to meet him half way. I pressed into his mouth and then I felt his long tongue make a tenuous foray into my mouth. It was quite pleasant. He knew how to use his tongue without making you gag. Pushing me back into the sofa, he tentatively touched my breast through my clothing then pulled back to look down at his hand. He smiled naughtily. It was as if he thought he was getting away with something.

The closer he was, the harder it was for me to keep from ravaging him. The smell was overwhelming and I was losing control rapidly. He leaned back in to kiss my neck, exposing his own neck as he did. He had a long, slender neck with beautiful cobalt veins and arteries just underneath his bearded skin. The veins were exposed to me like long lines of blue spaghetti. I started to respond to the touch of his lips on my neck and earlobe. My breasts began to tingle and blood rushed to my groin.

He whispered into my ear, "You smell great and you're smokin' in that dress."

"I don't look hot at work?"

"You look pretty, but not hot. You look hot tonight."

"Well, thank you." I liked his candor.

He pulled back and gave me a sexy smile. "Let's go back to my room."

Getting him in bed would make it easier for me too. I stood up and offered my hand to him. He took it and we walked back towards what I assumed was the bedroom. He continued to kiss my neck and nibble my ear as we walked together. It was rather pleasant and, if I hadn't been so hungry, I would have probably forgone eating in exchange for a nice bonking.

I didn't bother to take off my clothes; I wouldn't be long. I simply kicked my high heels off and backed up on the bed in a seductive pose. I pulled the hem of my dress up, exposing the flesh of my thighs. He grinned and crawled up to me, dipping down to kiss my thigh, his warm lips feeling ticklish against my skin. I giggled.

Climbing up further, House took my chin in his hand and kissed my lips again. We both fell back on the pillow and I allowed myself the guilty pleasure of enjoying his hands on my breasts and tongue in my mouth. He kissed my clavicle and then down my moist skin to my cleavage.

As exciting as his touch was, I couldn't concentrate. It was the smell; the damn smell under my nose was too much. My retractiles slipped down, causing some discomfort from the crowding next to my incisors. The light was dim in the room, but my eyesight was sharper because my retractiles had been triggered. I could make out the jugular on his neck as if it was highlighted by high beams on a Mercedes.

He finally looked up and noticed something out of the ordinary. "What's in your mouth?"

I didn't answer. Pulling my lips back, I exposed the retractiles. He didn't recoil; he simply looked at me as if it was a Halloween prank. I knew it didn't matter what he saw; he wouldn't remember tomorrow. Before he could react, I quickly sank my retractiles into the taught flesh of his neck.

His blood, his delectable AB positive blood, rushed into my retractiles and down my throat, the flow slowing as my retractiles sank further in. My head was swimming from the pleasant sensations coursing through my body. I felt ebullient as my hunger started to wane. The taste of his rare blood type was delicious; it was a delicacy that mortals wouldn't understand. The effect of his blood as it soaked into my system was similar to that of an orgasm just as it starts to diminish. There's that glow of the aftermath as the sensations of the orgasm subside.

I drianed the blood as slowly as possible, wanting to savor the taste for as long as I could. He was oblivious to what was happening to him. During the feeding, a fast acting chemical that acts as a narcotic causing euphoria and stupor, completely incapacitating the victim, is released. If we choose, we can release a second chemical causing memory loss when we withdraw our retractiles. I devoured the pint of the red nectar, enough to satiate the hunger but not enough to jeopardize his health and as I pulled out my retractiles I released the chemical so that tomorrow he'd have a hard time remembering this evening.

I could now smell _him_—his mortal body odor, the musk of his skin and his body. I found his body odor to be masculine, attractive. I hadn't smelled it before because the aroma of his AB positive blood was so overwhelming. I gently dropped his head back on the pillow and watched as he slowly closed his eyes. He looked lovely laying there. I reached down and kissed his lips as softly as I could then quickly slipped out of the bed.

Standing up, I felt woozy from the Maker's Mark in his blood. It made me laugh. I wasn't sure that I should drive, I felt quite tipsy. Between the euphoria of feeding and the alcohol now coursing through my body, I was quite cheerful. Looking back at the bed, I almost climbed back in to wait for the chemicals to wear off so we could have a good shag. House had demonstrated a definite proficiency in foreplay and I was curious if it would follow through the entire love making process. I was left to wonder what those fingers could do if we had spent a few more minutes together before I had succumbed to my hunger.

I wasn't going to get my answers to his prowess, but I thought it would be kind of mean not to make him comfortable after such a delicious meal. Giggling, I undid his shirt and managed to pull it off of him. The belt was easily removed, but the jeans were more rebellious and I had to tug heartily to get them to yield to my desire. I folded the jeans and put them on a chair. His boxers were gapping slightly and, well, I was curious. If I hadn't been tipsy I would have left, but I couldn't resist a peek.

Pulling the elastic of his boxers up, away from his waist, I took a good gander at the sleeping organ. I've had many years on this earth and have seen my share of men's assets so I consider myself a good judge of aesthetics when it comes to penises. Dr. House had a very pleasant one. It was slightly longer than the average, but you would expect that on someone over six feet. It wasn't circumcised which made me wonder where he had been born and why he hadn't gone under the knife. I looked up and saw a little blue ribbon, obviously taken off the gift box of Crown Royal sitting on his dresser. I pulled it out of the trash next to his bed and wrapped it gingerly into a nice pert bow around his organ. I tucked it back into his boxers, leaned down and kissed his lips, then grabbed my things and locked up as I left.

I drove home with a big smile on my face, feeling like I could tackle the world. AB positive blood is not only the most flavorful of blood, but it's also an energizing tonic, much moreso than the more mundane types of blood. To put it more eloquently, AB positive is the white truffle of blood, O negative is the ordinary grocery store mushroom.

I decided to go back out so I refreshed my makeup and clothes. I looked healthier, not as pale. I felt great. I drove down to the club scene on Nassau and spent a few hours dancing before finding myself in the arms of a thirtyish professor from the local community college. We made out and he offered to finish what House had started, but I decided against it. Instead I opted to stop by MacDonald's and buy myself a _Quarter Pounder with Cheese_ which I devoured with gusto. I love beef; I think it's the iron in it. Getting home at five, I noticed that the sun was starting to lighten the sky, but the sun wasn't quite over the horizon. I crawled into bed and fell into a very satisfying and very deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Lost Moments**

_What the Fu—? A blue ribbon? A blue ribbon for what? What happened? _

House tried hard to remember the night before and exactly why his penis had managed to win a blue ribbon. The last thing he remembered was getting ready to hunt down the Mole, so how did he end up in bed, in his shorts with a blue ribbon around his penis? Feeling groggy, he took a shower to wake up. As he brushed his teeth, he saw what looked like small insect bites on his neck. They were tender to the touch, but didn't look inflamed. He thought nothing more about them as he continued to wonder about the events of Friday.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I was going to follow the Mole. The last thing I remember was getting into my car and then I woke up in bed with a blue ribbon tied around my massive pleasure staff."

Wilson screwed his face up in disgust, "Ewww, surely you jest."

"Don't call me Shirley and no, I'm not kidding. I had a blue ribbon around my enormous Captain Woody."

Tilting his head and narrowing his eyes, "Well, what _do you _remember?"

"I was going to follow the Mole. I _thought _that I was sitting in my car outside her place waiting for her to make a move."

"You _think _you were outside of her place, you don't know for sure?"

House hesitated. "Yeah, I think I remember ordering—" A look of 'ah-ha' came over his face and he stood up, grabbed his credit card out of his wallet and ran to the computer where he started typing. Pulling up his credit card statement he saw two charges for Friday-- one at the Brew-ha-ha, the coffee shop across from the hospital where he ate lunch and one from the Yankee Doodle Tap Room. "Christ! I was at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room on Friday."

"So, you got slammed on single malt and managed to get your ass home. You're lucky."

House shook his head, "I got slammed on $7.48 of whiskey? I don't think so. It looks like I had one drink and that's it."

"Do you remember having the drink?"

House shrugged and shook his head. "I'm drawing a blank."

"House, what is this new found obsession with Kiara Larkin?"

"She's not bad to look at."

"She's odd."

"Odd? Define odd."

Wilson looked uncomfortable, "She works graveyard—and likes it! She's a hermit."

"She's brilliant."

"Yeah, but—there's something different about her. I can't put a finger on it."

"So you think she's odd?"

"Okay, she's polite. A real professional. But, she never talks about anything but work. I once asked her what she did for fun and she said, 'draw blood.' I laughed, but she didn't. And what's up with her ability to read blood before the tests are back?" Wilson shook his head and sat down. "She's just _odd_."

"One man's 'odd' is another man's 'enigma'. I'd like to find out what happens when she surfaces from her burrow." House grabbed another beer for him and Wilson from his refrigerator as they settled back to watch the Eagles play.

They knocked their bottles of beer together in a meaningless toast and drank. House, still baffled, sat back in the chair and thought about how to decipher the enigma that was Kiara.

* * *

I walked in Sunday evening to PPTH and looked around, worried that he would be lurking behind a potted plant or that the elevator would open and he'd be standing there with a smirk. But, the coast was clear and he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I spent a very productive night polishing my abstract, running some new protocols and leaving multiple instructions for my staff on the next set of protocols. I had purposefully come in at 10:30 pm so that I would overlap half an hour with my day-shift supervisor, Dr. Hadley Biltmore, a British research Hematologist. Hadley had worked for me the entire five years I had been at PPTH . We had a wonderful relationship built on mutual admiration. Hadley was married to a tiny slip of a woman who had borne him boys ages three and five. He loved living on the east coast because of its proximity to England. His parents and siblings lived in Oxford and Hadley frequently made trips to Ol' Blighty to see them. A brilliant hematologist, he was the only person to ever suggest that I had a slight Irish accent. Very astute of him.

After meeting with Hadley, my day was over and it was time to go home. It was seven-fifteen and the sun was up. I took a deep breath and started to cross the parking lot which had a few patches of snow from a weak storm that had passed through the night before. I had forgotten my hat and so my face was taking the full sun making my skin feel warm and uncomfortable. I just wanted to get to my car and get home.

I saw the Dynasty pull into the handicap parking spot and Greg jump out wrapped in a pea coat and Adidas cap waving at me. I didn't want to stop for him, but he was yelling and looked like he was in pain trying to catch up with me. I internally rolled my eyes and turned to look at him.

He was out of breath and rubbing his thigh. "Christ, didn't you hear me? My leg's already giving me trouble today."

"Sorry, I was in my own world." I put my hand up to my eyes so I could shield my face from the sun.

"Uh, Cuddy invited me to her Christmas Eve party. I thought we could go together."

"I wasn't invited."

He registered some surprise.

I explained, "We're cordial, but we're not close. People tend to forget about me on graveyard."

"Well, the invitation was for two. I'll pick you up at seven."

I gasped, shocked that he would assume I would go with him. "I…I…it's Friday. I work Friday night."

"No you don't, I checked the schedule yesterday. The dress code is thong and demi-bra."

I could see that he was intent on me going with him and considering our pleasant evening together and my sweet snack at his expense, I decided to take a chance, so I shook my head and threw my hand up. "Fine, I'll see you at seven."

He gave me a creepy half-smile and then took off into the building as I made my way to my Toyota Yaris. I had garaged my scooter after hitting the first patch of ice of the season two days ago.

_What was I thinking? I'm nuts. Christmas Eve? I thought Cuddy was Jewish. What is she doing giving a Christmas Eve party?_

I drove home and went through my routine before crawling into bed. I checked to see if the little silk pouch was under my pillow. I felt the soft silk and the earth inside of it. Smiling at the comfort of it being there, I fell into a deep slumber.

I woke up and went out to find the appropriate Christmas Eve gift for my hostess. I chose a Gourmet cheese, cracker and expensive wine set. As I was leaving the liquor store, I saw a bottle of Jameson's Rarest Vintage Reserve Malt Whiskey and smiled. I remembered when I was younger that I had spent time with the Jamesons at their country house just outside of Dublin. Back then, it was not uncommon for women to shroud themselves in hats, parasol and gloves before going out into the sun and so I didn't stand out. We had so much fun and I came close to marrying one of the great-great nephews of Glorious John (Jameson), Padraig Jameson, but sadly, it ended in disaster and I never came that close to being married again. Despite the trigger of my sad memories, I purchased a bottle for Greg. I always liked a good drink of "Jemmie", I was pretty sure he would too.

I spent the next few days at work, doing the preliminaries on the next research project so that I could get the lab staff working, while the rest of us wrote and edited the study for submission to peer review. I spent three days writing the protocol to submit to Hadley for his review and suggestions. He would them submit them outside of the group to a medical school professor of Hematology, Darren Petz, M.D. Ph.D. who would then review and make suggestions that would come back to me before we submitted it to our backers. It was an arduous procedure, but a necessary one. The Grant proposal had to be just right or it would get shot down.

**Dear Readers, Please leave me a note to let me know if you are enjoying this. It's the only way we authors know if we're giving the reader what they want and if we should keep on going! Thanks! Kim**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Christmas Wishes**

Christmas Eve was a blistery cold and windy night, one of those that you wished you could stay in with a cup of tea and a good Netflix. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to wear except I knew it wasn't a thong. I decided to play it safe by wearing a red shirtdress with gold buttons. It was a nice fitting dress that complimented my figure and my hair color and gave me the illusion of having more of a waistline than I really have. I put on my coat and grabbed the gifts when I saw his car pull up outside. Running out, I almost slipped on the ice, but recovered and managed to jump into the car with the gifts intact.

"That's a huge boatload of cheese."

I looked down at the basket and nodded. "I thought she would like it. The cheese is to die for. You should try the Irish Cheddar."

He leaned forward to start the car, but paused. "What's the other gift?"

"For you. I'm sure you can't guess what it is."

"Well, it's my favorite box shape."

I handed it over to him and watched as he removed the wrapping paper. "Jesus. That's some serious whiskey."

"It's really very good."

"Irish whiskey? What made you buy Irish?"

"I like the taste and this is top of the line."

He narrowed his eyes. "Sometimes, you sound like you have an Irish accent."

"Really?" _Another astute man._ "Are you sure it's going to be okay with Lisa if I come?"

"Why not?"

"I thought you and Lisa were an item."

"That was before I had the stint in the loony bin. It seemed like a good idea until I got straight. But, me and a kid? I need a lot of attention –a lot. I don't think that she would be able to burp and bathe the two of us at the same time."

"I suspect you do need a lot of attention."

"So, it's Christmas, have you been saved?"

I was surprised by the question. Studying him I wasn't sure if he really wanted an answer or not. "I was raised Catholic."

"Gee, with a name like Kiara Larkin, I'm shocked."

"You?"

"I was raised Episcopal. But I took a sharp right at Buddha, a left at Muslim and went straight to hell."

"Atheist?"

"Reporting for duty."

"Well, it takes no courage to lack faith."

"Come on, you _really_ believe in God?"

"I've been around long enough to have seen plenty to convince me."

He laughed at me. "Pshaw! What have you seen in that pitiful life of yours?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Dr. House, if I told you, the mystery would be gone. You'd lose interest in me."

"I thought that's what you wanted?"

"That was last week." I wasn't sure why I blurted that out, but it was the truth. I had enjoyed our previous evening together. Truthfully, it had been awhile since I had enjoyed a man's company that much.

"Let's skip the party and go have sex."

I pulled my head back. "Oh! Well, that wasn't exactly the response I had expected. But, as tempting as a night with you between the sheets sounds, I think I'll choose Cuddy."

He shook his head, but gave me a cute little smile, "Bad choice. I can make the evening at her house bone crushingly painful."

"Oh, I know bone-crushing and I think I'll chance it. Out of all the things I fear in this life, you're behavior is not one of them. It's only a reflection of _you_r lunacy, not mine."

We pulled up in the street outside of Lisa Cuddy's house and I sensed that something was odd. We walked up to the door; he rang the bell and Lisa answered—in lounging pajamas.

She wrinkled her forehead and tilted her head. "House?"

There were no smells of food, sounds of music; there was only a TV playing in the background and no signs that she expected us. I closed my eyes and felt my bones crunch. I handed her the basket. "I asked Dr. House to swing by so I could drop this off. He's giving me a lift home." I turned to House and nodded at the car. "_Now!"_

House shrugged his shoulders at Cuddy who looked incredibly baffled. I started to walk away as Cuddy yelled after me.

"Well, thank you! Have a …have a happy holiday!"

House stayed a few seconds more, said something, Cuddy went into the house and he made his way to the car while I stood out in the cold so hot from embarrassment that the wind felt good. He started laughing at me. I was so mortified that I couldn't hide my anger. After opening the door, I climbed inside and stewed.

"Ouch, you're pissed."

"You invited me to a non-existent party!"

He couldn't help but grin, "I got you out of your bat cave on Christmas Eve. Don't worry, I made dinner reservations for us at La Luna. We have to go now though, they close tonight at nine for the holiday."

"Just take me home."

"La Luna it is."

"Home." I said firmly.

He drove us to La Luna. When he opened the door for me, I stomped into the restaurant. The smell of the pasta and sausage seemed to smother me. I was angry and, as a result, all my senses were heightened. I could smell his cologne and the musk that it masked. I could even smell the cigarette of one of the busboys who was probably smoking out back.

"You can stay pissed, or enjoy the evening."

"Why not just ask me out to the restaurant?"

He shook his head. "You would have had to think about it. And, it's more likely that you'd agree to a well-populated Christmas Eve party thrown by your boss, which granted, would be a safer choice for you, or a quiet, romantic dinner with me, knowing my ulterior motive was to get you in the sack."

"You don't think I'd go out on a date with you?"

"I think you'd have reservations. You're not exactly the most social of creatures, are you?"

"Excuse me? You don't know me!"

"I know you don't gossip at work and that has me worried."

A tight smile crossed my lips, "And why would that worry you?"

"It means you aren't human."

A cold shiver passed over my body. "Oh?"

"Humans gossip. They love to hear and spread information about others….even if it's lies. So, what are you? A saint?"

I started to breath again. "Yes, I'm Saint Kiara."

He leaned in towards me, his eyes heavy lidded. "You think you can save me?"

"I don't think there's any hope for you."

I could tell that he wanted to kiss me, touch me, but there was a strange shyness inside of him. For all his bluster, there was a part of him that wasn't too sure of himself. It was a lethal combination for any woman. Brilliant mind, handsome face, gorgeous blue eyes, musically gifted, witty, arrogant and yet, inside was this little boy that needed mothering and reassurance. Christ, if that's not the trifecta, I don't know what is.

He looked down and swallowed. "Maybe there isn't."

I went to pieces inside. I wanted to grab him up and make sweet love to him, make him feel good about himself.

"Ah, there, there, my nanny always said there's good in everyone. I'm sure we can find it, even in Greg House."

He chuckled and looked up, "I hope you're nanny is right. Now, what's this about you having a nanny?"

I pulled back, a little weary that I had let something slip. It was unimportant, but it made me realize that I had to be extra careful around this Sherlock Holmes, nothing slipped by him.

"Did I hit a nerve?" He asked, alerted to my nervousness.

"I'm just not good about sharing things."

"Great, between the two of us, we'll never get to know each other. I'm not good at sharing either."

The smile on my face was genuine; I was thinking that he was sweet when he wanted to be, especially when he was self-depricating. He gave me half a smile back.

The fake Christmas Eve party was soon forgotten, I was enjoying myself too much. I watched him down a couple of glasses of wine for courage while I had a glass and enjoyed a dish of Lasagne. Greg ate a large portion of Veal Parmigana. We stayed until they closed at nine and then he drove me back to my place.

"Thanks Greg, thanks for the party." I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I reached for the door handle. His fingers wrapped around my wrist left wrist.

"Don't you want me to get my Christmas Wish?"

I knew what his Christmas wish was and, as much as I wanted to give it to him, I had decided that with Greg House I better have my ducks in order before inviting him in. He was enough of a snoop to go searching through things which were better off put away.

"I'm not Santa, Greg."

"You could play Santa's little helper and dress up in a little woodshop apron with nothing else underneath."

"Yes, I guess I could, but then you're an atheist and don't believe in Christmas. Good night Gregory."

He leaned over as I got out, rolled down the window and looked up at me. "Hey, I just got religion!"

"Call a priest."

"Can I call you again?"

I couldn't resist. I leaned down and in through the window I planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. "What are you going to call me?"

"Stubborn."

"Sticks and Stones…yeah, you can call me."

He rolled the window up and took off.

I yelled, "Merry Christmas!" knowing full well he couldn't hear me.

**************************** break x x xx x x x x x x x

At seven on Christmas morning, after watching several movies, I went to bed. Asleep, I realized that something was happening outside my consciousness. My mind fought to wake up, which is difficult for my kind, especially during daylight. Still fuzzy, I could hear noises in my living room. I was nervous, aware of the fact that I wasn't fully awake and having a hard time focusing. The fear heightened my senses and I could smell the AB blood, the blood of a Guardian. My retractiles slipped down, my senses heightened and I could hear a man's breathing in the living room along with the sound of paper being rattled.

I can move rapidly when I'm either hunting or frightened or when my retractiles are triggered. I was in the living room in less than a second, so rapidly that it looks unnatural, supernatural, to the human eye. I stopped in the middle of the room aware that I was looking at Greg House.

His eyes were like saucers and his mouth dropped open in shock. "What the fu—"

"Greg!" My retractiles retracted. I was fairly sure he hadn't seen them. He was reacting to the speed in which I had come up behind him. He had turned at the last minute and I m sure it seemed to him that 'poof' I was just there.

_Oh my God! A little Christmas tree? Oh, how sweet. _

Standing in the middle of my living room coffee table was a two foot Christmas tree with battery operated lights. Next to it was a couple of gifts, haphazardly wrapped with tape everywhere on what looked to be recycled Christmas paper from gifts given to him.

"Oh, you've brought Christmas!"

Shaking his head, he looked completely taken off guard. "No, no. You don't get off that easily. How did you manage to sneak up like that?"

"I'm very fast, besides the lighting in here is rather dim. It's all an illusion. Greg…how did you get in?"

"Everyone hides a key."

Now I was shocked. _"You found my extra key?"_

"I knew you wouldn't hide it here. So I found it in your desk at work. What are you doing sleeping? It's two in the afternoon?"

"I stay up until morning to keep my body accustomed to graveyard. I need to go back and get dressed." I ran my hand through my hair. Still groggy I motioned to the kitchen. "Uh, there's not much in the house to eat or drink, but you're welcomed to whatever you can find—_in the kitchen_."

I took a quick shower and then put on my jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. Going out to the living room, my heart fell through my stomach when I saw him with my album. A blue satin and lace cover, stuffed to look pillowy, the album had dozens of black acid-free paper pages. It had been given to me by my nanny when I was ten years old and, although I never wrote much in it, I had pasted numerous photographs taken over the years. It contained so many things about my life that would raise a red flag if it fell into the wrong hands—hands like Greg House's.

I coughed loudly to distract him. "Well! Can I open my gifts?"

He picked up the cup of coffee he had made, took a sip and continued to stare down at the album. "Damn, I could swear this is even has that little crooked smile. Who is this?"

I went over and saw that he was looking at my photo, the one taken of Padraig and me a week before the wedding that never took place. In the photo I look young, happy, in love. It was a brilliant spring day on our estate just outside of Dublin. We're lying on a plaid blanket with a picnic basket and in the background is our Phaeton and two horses. The photographer was my cousin who had taken up photography as a hobby that summer.

"My great great aunt. I'm named after her."

"Then—" he quickly turned the pages. "Who is this?"

It was me in my British Air Transport Auxiliary uniform in World War II. "My great aunt."

He shook his head and furrowed his brow. "You have strong genes in your family. Do you take after your mother or father's side?"

"My mother died in childbirth. I guess I take after my father's side."

"Is that a WAAF uniform?"

I shook my head. "British Air Transport Auxilary."

"Didn't they see a lot of airtime during the war?"

"Yes, she told me all about it."

"Really? Like what?"

I thought back to my nights flying aircraft and the grueling hours we spent during the war ferrying aircraft from base to base. I hadn't thought about it in years and looking at the photo I remembered how proud I was of my job. "We…I mean, my Aunt, ferried aircraft from manufacturers to British air bases, so men could be freed up to fly in combat missions. She had no husband or children, so she was recruited by the British to be in the BATA. She flew hundreds of hours in 75 different aircraft and received the King's Medal of the United Kingdom from King George VI. She said the hardest part of the job was dealing with unpredictable weather. Flying without radios or navigational aids and in areas with a lot of barrage balloons floating around in the air wasn't easy either. The balloons were raised over critical areas to discourage low-flying aircraft -- their heavy suspension cables could shear off a passing plane's wing and propellers. When my Aunt and the other female pilots went into a factory, they'd let down the balloons to give them time to fly out."

"I'm impressed. They were just as much heroes as any soldier flying."

"Thank you." I said it and realized it sounded too much like I was thanking him for a personal compliment, not a compliment about my great aunt. I looked up and noticed he was smiling strangely at me.

"You must have been close to her."

"Yes. I was very close."

He narrowed his eyes and stuck his face close to mine. "There's something you're not telling me."

"Yes, I guess I should tell you that I have nothing to feed us."

"Damn and I was sure you would cook for Christmas. Well, what were you going to do for dinner?"

I shrugged. I could always go out and nip someone in the neck for a meal. "Is anything open?"

"Denny's is always open."

I laughed. "Come on, I'm buying."

"Wait, open your presents." He picked one up, "This one first."

I giggled shuddered like a school girl with delight. It had been years since someone had given me a Christmas gift. My family and friends didn't really celebrate Christmas. I tore at the haphazardly wrapped gift and discovered that it was a book.

"Leonard Nimoy's, I_ Am Spock_?" I had heard of the book, had even intended to buy it, but I had never expected him to give it to me in a million years. I was dumbfounded, "How did you know I was a Trekkie?"

"If I tell you, it will take all the mystery out of it. Now the other one."

He handed me a soft package, obviously it held something made of material. I opened it and laughed. It was an apron. Not a wood-shop apron, but an apron nonetheless.

Grinning, he commented when I held it up to my body, "Maybe when we get back from dinner, you could play Santa's Helper and make my Christmas wish come true."

"Oh you are so the little boy praying for Santa to bring him a Cadillac, aren't you?"

"Cadillac? I'd be more likely to compare you to a Ferrari."

I giggled, "Good answer."

Denny's was surprisingly busy. I hadn't realized that there were that many people who had nowhere to eat on Christmas. The waitress was dressed in holiday colors with a pin in the shape of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. The nose blinked a merry off and on in celebration of the holiday.

When the waitress approached, Greg asked her if they had any reindeer roast.

"What?"

"Well, I see you have Rudolphs head on your chest; I was wondering if you had his rump in the kitchen?"

The waitress giggled even though I'm pretty sure Greg meant it as a barb. Still, he was amused that she laughed. He gave me this bizarre look as if she had just gone bonkers. After she left, we had a good laugh and didn't stop joking and teasing each other until we paid the bill and started home.

"Thanks for the whiskey, it's deee-lish. Some of the best I've ever had."

"I think so too. The Jameson Distillers put out a good product."

"I brought it over with me. It's in the back seat. I thought I'd share."

"That's bloody nice of you. I think I'll take you up on it. I like a good Jemmie every once in awhile." I gave him a sweet little smile of encouragement.

"There you go, sounding extremely Irish or British or Celtic."

"My relatives were all Irish. Most of them moved to London just after World War I. I guess the accent rubs off. I spent a lot of time with my father's side of the family."

We parked and he reached in the back, grabbing the bottle and getting out. Looking up at my brownstone building, he asked, "Who lives upstairs?"

"No one. It's mine."

Shaking his head, I could see he was about to explode_. "You live in the basement when you have a three story brownstone?"_

I walked over to him and realized he was going to fixate on why I lived in the basement if I didn't do something right then and there. I reached up, pulled his neck down and kissed him, my tongue finding his. It was warm and tasted like ketchup from his fries with his dinner. He had the cane in one hand and the bottle in the other when he tried to wrap his arms around me. I pulled back and gave him one of those 'screw me' smiles.

"Do you want to stay out here admiring my real estate or retire to my place to drink a little whiskey?"

He practically ran towards the steps leading down to my apartment. "After we screw, you need to tell my why you live down here and not up there."

"After we screw…sure." I opened the door and walked in, turning to take the bottle from him, but he jerked the bottle back.

"You agreed too easily." Tilting his head he narrowed those blue eyes and winced, "You don't think we're going to screw."

"I think you have a fertile imagination."

"I didn't imagine that kiss."

"Ah, maybe you did."

I debated my options. I could feed and then he'd forget all of this, but then, I wasn't hungry. I'd eaten enough food for my human side to be satiated and I typically didn't need much blood to keep the rest of me happy. I only fed the hunger once a month, maybe more if I had been extremely active. I hadn't been very active at all and I'd already fed off of him a week ago. I tried not to feed off humans unless I was really hungry and had to. Most of the time I was able to obtain fresh blood through my work as a hematologist. I weighed my options. Greg had seen my scrap book and he now knew that I have a huge house, but live in the basement. I was so far off the normal charts in his book that someone like House could feed off the mystery that was me for the rest of his life.

Unlocking the door, I slipped inside out of the cold wind. He followed, putting the whiskey down on the counter. I had made my decision and could feel the retractables starting to come down when he pulled me into his body, his stiff erection pushing into my thigh. There's something embarrassing and exhilarating about a man who gets excited about you that quickly. Of course, it could be that he just hadn't been intimate with anyone for awhile and this had triggered a natural reaction or, as I chose to believe, he just found me to be so hot I was sexually irresistible.

He whispered into my ear, "Sorry, it's just been a long time since I've held a woman in my arms."

So much for my choice.

"Greg, I think this is moving too fast."

"Too fast? You've been at PPTH for five years."

I laughed at his faulty logic. "Five years of giving each other a wide berth."

He winced and looked like he was in pain. "Come on. You're an adult, I'm an adult and we both know sex doesn't mean I won't respect you in the morning."

"Yeah, but I don't want to have sex with you just because it feels good for a minute or two. If I have sex with you –"

His phone rang and after groaning, he flipped the phone open. "What?" He listened and then I saw his attention fly away from me as fast as he had gotten hard. He dropped his arm from around my waist and backed away. "Yeah, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Flipping his phone shut, he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you were saved by the bell." He grabbed his jacket and turned to look at me. "I'll call you."

My whole body slumped in disappointment. I realized just how much I had wanted him to convince me to sleep with him. But, I gave him a smile and cheerily chirped, "Merry Christmas, Greg."

He was out the door. I grabbed the bottle he had left behind and knocked back a shot of Jemmie before I settled back in my chenille sofa to watch a _True Blood_ marathon. Of course, _True Blood_ always has me in stitches and I needed a good laugh.

**Dear Readers: Thank you so much for reading and writing me reviews. No matter how short, the reviews are always welcomed. Again, I hope you're enjoying the story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**What's One More Year?**

I didn't hear from Greg for the next six days. I'd discovered through the grape vine that he had been called in to handle a case involving one a very famous jazz singer, one which I knew he was fond of because he had mentioned her twice during our first, 'date'. But, the singer had been discharged yesterday and still no phone call.

New Year's Eve is an important holiday to my family and friends. We don't celebrate many holidays, because what's one more birthday when you're unlikely to die? And since most of my friends and family are no longer religious (having proof that you don't always go off to heaven or hell when you die, sometimes you become a vampire, tends to turn you Agnostic), they don't celebrate Christmas or Easter. However, we do celebrate New Year's Eve as the start of the seasons. It's the one holiday when we all get dressed to the nines and let loose, usually at one of my father's estate; this year it was being held at his home outside of Princeton.

I spent the better part of the early evening getting ready, taking an inordinate amount of time trying on different dresses and discarding most of my choices. In the end I chose a red satin cocktail dress with black lace trim around the hem and the neckline which plunged into a deep V. I went with black lace open-toed shoes and my dangling diamond earrings. Feeding my cat, I flipped off the kitchen light and was just about to leave when the doorbell rang. The peep-hole revealed a dapper Greg standing outside in a pressed royal blue shirt, jeans and a navy wool jacket, holding a bottle of champagne. Shuffling his feet and rubbing his hands together, I could see that he was cold.

Opening the door, I motioned for him to come inside. "Hi! What's up?"

He gave me one of those appreciative looks of his. "Whewww. You're looking hot. You have plans tonight?"

"Yes, a big party. In fact, I was just about to leave." I cocked my head in the hopes that my posture would encourage him to tell me why he was there. Instead, I received a rather strange look, as if I was being impolite. "Greg? Is there something you need?"

He shrugged, handed me the champagne, a rather boring bottle of Korbel, and walked off into the cold New Year's Eve night. I was flabbergasted, unable to determine what that was all about.

_Did he really expect me to give up my plans and stay home to entertain him after he failed to call me? I just don't get him sometimes._

I grabbed my black velvet coat, driver's license and keys. Jumping in my car, I started on the twenty-five mile drive to my father's house. Maybe I should just call it a manor, Dad would. Making the turn onto his drive, it was at least a quarter of a mile before I saw the lights from the three story house (plus basement—huge basement.) As I got closer, I could see that there was a long line of cars parked on the drive leading up to the entrance. Standing in front of the manor were two young men hired to park and retrieve cars for the guests, although I suspected most of them would be staying the night. I threw the keys to my car to the tall one and waved cheerfully to everyone I recognized as I walked quickly into the foyer of the manor.

Built in 1850 by Princeton's illustrious resident, Job Olden, Larkin Manor was enlarged by Laurence Hutton, theater critic, publisher and University lecturer, who hosted such notables as Mark Twain and Helen Keller at the manor. The large basement suited my father's needs well so he acquired the grand home from the Hutton estate after his untimely death. The stunning restoration by my father enhanced the house for entertaining and added comfort and functionality to some of the spaces. Daddy's home was full of Greek key detailing, deep wall niches, gargoyles, Corinthian columns and arched French doors. As you enter, you are immediately drawn to the twelve foot ceilings with exquisitely painted murals. The center hall is encircled by a reception room, a formal dining room and a grand living room with a unique 14 foot vaulted ceiling and Palladian style windows.

I usually live near my father, mostly for the protection and company of my father's sect. As I entered the house, I immediately handed my coat to Danson who was manning the doors, giving him a peck on the cheek and wishing him a Happy New Year. Making my up to the second floor, I turned right and walked down the hall to the bedroom at the furthest end of the north wing, the one Daddy had deemed would always be mine. I noticed as I passed three of the bedrooms that we had living company as well. There are humans who are vampire groupies, trusted humans who are allowed to associate with vampires without fear of being turned. They do, however, offer themselves up as a snack from time to time to repay the vampires for their trust. In return, they are treated to a rich social life consisting of concerts, plays, parties and wonderful weekends on large estates like my father's.

As soon as I opened the door, I smiled; there was a large fire in the marble fireplace and my bed had been turned down. My room overlooked the north garden which, in spring, bloomed into a cornucopia of blues, purples and reds. I often liked to sit in the massive bay window and look at the view while I read a good novel.

I went into the restroom and freshened up. I could feel the bass of the dance music playing downstairs. Coming out of the bathroom, I already knew he was there, I could feel him. I rushed into his arms and gave him a big bear hug. "Daddy! How are you?"

He sighed, "I'd be better if you would come to see me more often."

"Oh Daddy, you lie so well. You spend so much time gallivanting around the world, how am I supposed to keep up with you?" I stepped back so he could get a look at me. We hadn't seen each other in six months and I know that, when we do see each other, he likes to inspect me to see how much I've aged. He worries about my mortality, afraid of the day that I die and he has no bloodline left.

Taking me in, he smiled and nodded, "You are so beautiful, Acushla." He kissed me briefly on the lips. I looked back at him but with none of the scrutiny he had given me. I didn't have to, my father never changed. He still had the handsome dark features of the young man he had been when he had been turned. It had been his thirtieth birthday when the beautiful vampire, Moira Kelly, had decided that the blue-eyed, dark haired Lord Sean Larkin would be her protoge forever. But, it hadn't quite worked out that way. Only two years after turning my father, a Guardian had discovered Moira in her lair. Father had hidden his coffin well, afraid of the recent spate of missing Vampires, but Moira had always thought she was invincible. The Guardian had taken great pleasure in driving the oak stake through her heart and then decapitating her body, freeing my father from the eternal demands of his maker.

My father agonized over the fact that I was half mortal. He watched as I aged slowly but surely towards death. In his desperation to keep me with him, he had tried to turn me when I was twenty, but it hadn't worked. You don't actually kill your victim to turn them. You bleed them for several days, almost to the point of death, as you inject them repeatedly with your essence through your rectractiles. When it is clear that they are turned, that they can no longer make enough human blood to survive on their own and that they have the requisite vampire traits and powers, only then do you kill them so that they can be 'reborn' as a full vampire. Sadly, no matter how much blood my father took from me, I always produced enough blood, a result of the alteration of my genetic code when I was invitro in my mother's womb.

I was, to put it in as simple terms as possible, a _live_ vampire. I was unable to get ill from viruses or bacteria, but I did age and I would get the maladies that afflict an aging human body. I would get wrinkles, go through menopause and my hair would turn gray. I had grown normally until I hit puberty and then the aging process slowed down to the point that in the one hundred and sixty nine years of my life, I still looked as if I were in my thirties and felt like twenty. I had some vampire powers, but unless it was under extreme circumstances, the powers tended to be weaker than a true vampire.

I was feared by some vampires for my ability to tolerate, albeit with some discomfort, the light of day. However, my mortality, the eventual natural breakdown and aging of my cells, was well known and I was both envied and pitied for my mortality. Many vampires eventually commit suicide, allowing themselves to be caught by a Guardian or other humans. They grow bored and weary of immortality and, after seeing and tasting what the night world has to offer, they can no longer tolerate the idea that, for the most part, they've done it all. Mortality gives purpose to your life. It makes you appreciate it, try to cram as many experiences as you can into it, enjoy it while you can. When you know that you have all the time in the world to do anything you want, life becomes monotonous.

I was lucky that I was the daughter of a very popular King or I am sure one of my father's sect would have killed me years ago. Some of the vampires, a small percentage, didn't trust someone with my knowledge and abilities. They worried that I could become a weapon for the Guardians and wipe them out like a Wesley Snipes movie. It was ludicrous since vampires made up my family and my closest circle of friends, but vampires are like humans, they come in all shapes and sizes.

I grabbed my father and hugged him again, so happy to see him. I felt safe in his home. We were hugging when I smelled human blood, the same blood type of a Guardian. It had to be Greg. He was nearby and I knew what that would mean--he would quickly be mistaken for a Guardian because of his blood type. Flying out the door, I could hear a commotion downstairs. My retractiles extended as I ran. Because of my ability to move quickly, I was on the scene within a few seconds. Four vampires were tearing at Greg's coat as one had already managed to sink her teeth into his jugular. He was rapidly losing his life as she gorged herself on his delectable blood.

I grabbed her by her arm and threw her so hard that she flew through the air, striking hard against the wall. The other vampires pulled back, frightened by my behavior. My father was behind me, baffled by my actions.

"Acushla? You know this Guardian?"

I turned, the worry written all over my face. "Daddy, he's not a Guardian and more important, he's my friend. Please have them take him upstairs. I have to save him."

"No, I can't let you. He's too far gone. I won't let you risk your life for his."

I widened my eyes and pleaded, "Daddy, please? _Please?_"

My father had the power to say no and, if he did, I would have to obey. But my father was like any other father and found it difficult to deny me what I desired the most and he could tell how much I desired this from the pain in my face.

"But Kiara, you'll be forever connected. You know what you're doing?" His voice was soft with concern for me.

I shook my head. "I can't let him die, Daddy. Please?"

x x x x x x x x x break x x x x x x x x

Despite Greg's massive loss of blood, there wasn't a single drop of it in the snow. It had all been consumed by Heather, a rather young vampire who was eighteen when she was turned fifteen years ago. Greg was quickly removed to my bedroom, undressed and placed on towels over my sheets. My father hovered in the background along with Danson as I felt for his pulse. It was weak and thready and I was losing him. The puncture wounds were oozing blood because Heather had not injected the chemicals necessary for rapid healing. Greg was pale and non-responsive.

I had no choice.

I looked up at Danson and cried out, "I need a knife."

"Kiara, _no!_ I'll do it." My father responded.

"No, Daddy. You can't be linked to this man. He's...he's difficult."

"Well, you're obviously infatuated with him so it's even worse for you to be linked to this mortal."

"I don't know what I feel for him. I just know that he saves lives and for the first time in a long time I'm interested in someone who's not a vampire."

My father shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"It's okay, Daddy. It's unlikely that this is going to go anywhere. I need a knife from my bag." I had already instructed Danson earlier to get the doctor's bag from the trunk of my car and bring it to my room.

My father nodded to Danson, who produced a surgical knife from my bag. I took the knife and dragged it along the outside vein of my wrist for about an inch. The blood began to flow freely, but I would start to heal if Greg didn't start to drink soon. I pushed my wrist into his mouth, letting the blood drain down his throat. He gagged at first, but then he began to suck like a baby who hadn't eaten all winter.

My father couldn't watch. He stared out the window at the snow as it fell quietly on the north garden. I could see Greg's eyes begin to flutter and could feel his pulse grow stronger.

"Acushla, that's enough." My father's voice was stern.

"Daddy, you know my blood won't heal him as fast as yours. He'll need more to make up for that. Just a few more minutes."

"You'll die."

I smiled to reassure him. "No, but I'm going to be very weak."

By the time the color had returned to Greg's cheeks, I was almost dead, having been dRianed of four pints of blood. My breathing was labored and my head swimming. By the time I stopped I was sure that Greg would survive and probably be back to normal tomorrow, although normal was about to change for him.

My father bandaged my wrist even though it was already beginning to heal. Brushing my hair from my face he kissed my forehead. "Acushla, you need sustenance, let me give you some of my blood."

"I'll be okay Daddy, don't worry."

I shooed my father and Danson out of the room and then collapsed on the other side of the bed next to Greg. To be truthful, I wasn't sure I'd be able to make enough blood to keep myself alive. Breathing was painful without enough blood to carry the oxygen through my body. I realized too late that I should have taken my father up on his offer and received his blood, but I didn't want him to know just how much of myself I had given to Greg.

As I sank back onto my pillow, the look of horror that was on Greg's face when I pulled him from the vampires was the last thing I thought of before falling into a semi-consciousness state. I prayed that I would be alive to see his face without that look.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Crescendo**

Even before he opened his eyes, he knew he was somewhere unfamiliar. The bed he was laying on was firm but padded, a much better mattress than his own. The smell of wood burning mixed with the sound of rosin popping indicated that there was a fireplace, a dead giveaway that this wasn't a familiar bedroom. He didn't know anyone that had a fire place in their bedroom. And there was another smell, a light, fruity smell, the smell of a woman's perfume. _I smelled that perfume earlier... where? Kiara's. Kiara was wearing it_

House started to stir and immediately realized that something strange had happened-- he hadn't felt this good in years. Reaching down, he grabbed his leg and gasped. The pain he had expected when he touched the leg wasn't there.

_What the hell? Where's the pain? Open your eyes and look, come on—open your eyes!_

The muscles in his eyelids twitched, but they didn't open at first. He tried again and soon he could see a sliver of light where his eyes had opened slightly. But, once again, he couldn't sustain consciousness. His mind sunk back into the black for another half hour. When he woke the next time, his eyes opened easily and he looked around. He felt invigorated, invincible, almost as if he was on cocaine. He could smell her next to him; it was the smell of iron mixed with the smell of her sex. It didn't make sense.

_How can I smell her sex from where I'm lying?_

The light was brighter, his surroundings sharper; there was no doubt that his senses were heightened.

_Did she drug me?_

House turned to look at her again. The rise and fall of her breasts was slow, but uneven. Her skin was a translucent white with blue veins running like rivers across the pale landscape. She was beautiful lying there. She was so vulnerable.  
Without any conscious thought, blood rushed to his sexual organs. His engorged penis throbbed in anticipation of conquering her. Desperately trying to resist his urge, he felt himself losing to his uncontrollable craving to possess her. There was no denying this urge, this need for her body. But it was more than a desire for sex; he needed to connect with her.

House placed a tentative hand on the fabric of her dress directly over her breast. Feeling the roundness rise up into his hand as she breathed only added to his desire. Trying to pull away, he found his hand slipping down to her thigh without any conscious thought behind it. His fingers curled around the hem of the skirt of her dress, hiking it up to her waist. He caressed the fleshy part of her thigh as his erection pulsed with excitement, the feel of her smooth white thigh under the long palm of his hand sent more waves of longing, an undeniable hunger to take her.

His blood was racing and he could no longer control the urges coming from some primordial place in his head. He rolled into a push-up stance over her body, hovering-- not touching her yet. Looking down on her face, she was still unaware, her breasts rising and falling quietly. He tried to will her to wake up; he didn't want it to be like this, but there was nothing he could do; his body didn't respond to his conscious effort to stop. There was no control; there was no stopping. He pulled her dress up to her waist and tugged at the string bikinis around her bony hips. The string pulled apart in his hand. He crumpled the panties against his nose and then threw them on the floor.

Grabbing his pulsating organ in his hand, he pushed it up against the lips of her sex to make them part. Her lovely face was blank. Breathing deeply, House whispered, "Forgive me," before plunging fast and deep inside of her.

His mind exploded into sensations he had never had before. His organ was so sensitive he could sense every ridge inside of her, feel the pulse of her muscles against his penis and smell the mingling of their body odors. It was almost too much for his mind and body to take in at once. House wondered if anyone ever died of too much pleasure.

**Dear Readers. I know this is a short chapter so stay tuned. I'll try to get back this afternoon and post. Thanks for reading and for your reviews...they encourage tme to go forward.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Denouement **

There really was nothing to forgive. When a vampire's blood mixes with that of a mortal of the opposite sex, it initially creates a combination that produces an undeniable aphrodisiac. The more vampire blood the greater the aphrodisiac--the uncontrollable desire for the mortal to have sex with the host vampire. Greg had at least four units of my blood, maybe more. One unit usually produces a powerful desire to have sex, four would be impossible to resist.

The vampire, or in my case, half-vampire, wouldn't have the same reaction. There would be a connection, an undeniable link to what he was experiencing, but it could be controlled. I would feel sexy, erotic, something like the way you feel when you lose your inhibitions after a few drinks, but there would be no absolute_ need _for me to copulate, a desire perhaps, but not an overwhelming one.

Still, when I opened my eyes and felt him already moving inside of me, there was no feeling of violation, just a feeling of the completion of our connection. The look on his face, the mixture of guilt and pleasure, his desire, his need, it only made me feel more desirable, more wanted than ever before. Still, even this bonding fell short or what it could be between us. I wanted the experience to be everything it should be for a mortal, for Greg--the most glorious combination of pleasure and horror you can experience, an experience that would be so overpowering, he'd never forget it. So I bit him. I injected my retractiles into his long bearded neck, driving his body into a thrill of ecstasy that very few mortals ever experience.

As he moaned with pleasure, I rocked him with my legs wrapped around his waist to let him feel the power of the link between us. My retractiles delivered the nectar of the combination of our blood into him. I was weak and so it took everything I had to ride with him to the mind numbing, tingling, body wracking orgasm that came a few minutes later. Frankly, from the look on his face and the pounding of his heart, I wasn't sure he could physically take it. Some mortals can't. More than a few have died from the strain the experience puts on their heart.

Judging from the lines on his face, the bulging of his veins, and the guttural sound coming from his mouth, I worried that it had been too much. When he collapsed onto my body, still deep inside of me, he was breathing so rapidly I was sure that he would pass out. I waited. A few minutes passed before he could even manage to talk.

"Christ, I'm fifty, not twenty, I haven't felt that out of control or aroused since...since never. What the hell just happened?"

I pulled my groin away from his body, causing his softened erection to slide out. He rolled off to my side. My hand slid down the side of his wet face. "Just relax, get your breath. Take a nap."

He shook his head, "Are you crazy? I'm having delusions of people drinking my blood and now I've practically raped you. You've slipped me something...or _someone_ slipped me something."

I pulled my dress down to cover myself. "These parties get wild. It's possible someone put something in your drink or food."

"Except I didn't have anything to drink. Some woman screamed, "Guardian" at me and then a group of vampire wannabes attacked, cutting my throat with their pointy fangs. Christ, who is their orthodontist? I'd like to sue him." His breath was evening out and the pulsating veins in his neck and along his temple were starting to recede. I kissed him lightly on his lips and watched as he surveyed me suspiciously.

Putting my head back on the pillow, I looked up at the ceiling. The bed creaked as he turned on his side, raising up on an elbow to look down at me. Slowly shaking his head, he said with a mischievous smile, "Where did you learn to screw like that? I'm not complaining, but with a talent like that, you could make a lot of money."

I giggled and rolled my eyes. "Are you going to go to sleep or talk all night?"

Just as I said it, I heard the crowd start the countdown towards midnight. "Ten...nine...eight..." Greg kept watching me as the slow burning fire caused shadows to dance across our faces. "Seven...six...five...four...three...two...one! Happy New Year!"

His face came down as his lips parted, covering mine. We kissed for what seemed a very long and passionate time before he rose up and said, "Happy Fuckng New Year, Kiara."

"Happy New Year, Greg." I returned, wondering what was going on in his head and how much he believed about what had happened. He pulled me with him as he lay back down on the pillow, bringing my head to rest on his chest as the firelight slowly died.

It was one of my father's mortal assistants, you might call her a vampire groupie, who woke us. She entered the room quietly, but I had already heard her on the stairs which woke me. She slipped in to leave a tray on the side table and then light and stoke the fire. Looking up, she noticed that I was watching her.

"Dr. Larkin, your father asked me to check on you and see if you and your guest needed anything. He thought you might be hungry."

Greg lifted his head and opened one eye to look at her. "_Father_?" He asked, a look of puzzlement on his face.

The eager young woman, not more than twenty-two, nodded at Greg's question, "Yes, Lord Larkin. He thought Dr. Larkin might need to feed." With that, she pulled her blouse away from her neck exposing several puncture wounds and some bruising spreading out from the wounds. She bent her head back, offering herself to me.

I was mortified, embarrassed. Sure, I was starving and it was getting worse laying next to Greg, who was once again smelling like a Porterhouse steak to me and, had Greg not been there, I would have accepted my father's hospitality. But I knew that Greg hadn't accepted the reality of the situation and was convinced that this woman was part of some fantasy role-playing cult that he had stumbled upon. If I acknowledged her offer, he'd think I was as loony as she was.

I smiled at her, "Could you please leave us?"

She nodded with a definite air of disappointment, afraid that she had displeased the King's daughter. I tried to keep smiling to reassure her, but it wasn't working. She looked as if she might cry. When she left, I turned to Greg and cheerfully asked him if he wanted tea.

He knitted his brows together and threw up his hands in disbelief. "Tea? That nubile pin cushion just offered us a little blood with our breakfast roll and you're just going to ignore it? Who are these people?"

I poured the tea, "Sugar?"

Narrowing his eyes he wasn't going to let me get away with it.

"Greg, my father is a little eccentric. He loves to invite eccentric people to his house. I'm not responsible for their actions. Now, how do you like your tea?"

"Right after my morning sex."

I knew the last thing I was going to be able to do was have sex again with Greg. I was weak and hungry. One close whiff of his AB blood and my retractiles would drop and he'd have to re-examine the last twenty-four hours of his life and come to terms with a world full of vampires.

"Then I'll leave you alone so you can have it." I took a long sip of my tea and stood up. Walking over to my closet, I picked out some clothes that looked a little dated, most having been bought in the nineties. I made a quick note to bring over some of my current wardrobe so I'd have something newer to change into when I was at my father's. "I'm taking a shower." I scurried into the bathroom and began the shower. As I opened the clear glass door to the stall, I saw Greg walk in wearing just his boxers.

Pealing them off he opened the door, "You didn't really think that you could get away with taking a shower by yourself?" Sliding his arms around my waist, he pulled me back into his body and kissed my neck.

I was both aroused sexually and gastronomically. I knew I had to concentrate on not sinking my retractiles into his neck. Moans escaped from my lips as he slipped his hand down between my legs. I couldn't stay focused on trying to keep my teeth retracted. Just as he turned me around to kiss they slipped into position. I pulled away, trying desperately to hide them, but it was no use. He had seen the retractiles and had recoiled back, slipping and falling to the floor of the enclosure, his eyes wide with shock. Despite his horror, underneath I sensed a curiosity, a desire to make sense of what was happening.

I threw open the shower door and grabbed a towel, running into the bedroom. He didn't give chase at first. I had finished putting on a robe when he emerged, somewhat weary, smirking.

"Cute...where did you get the fangs? What's going on? Is this some Dark Shadows' convention?" He said it sarcastically, having convinced himself that this was all fantasy role-playing. "Do I make the sign of the cross or wear garlic around my neck if I'm not in the mood for sex?"

The smell of his blood in my weaken state was too much. I couldn't get my teeth to retract. I shook my head and hid my teeth with my hand just as my father knocked on the door, entering without so much as a 'what do you want?' from me.

Greg stood there naked, dripping on the oriental carpet next to the fireplace with a look of perplexity. He glanced from me to my father, obviously wondering who this man was who had entered my room so blatantly.

My father frowned at the sight of a naked man in his daughter's bedroom. Shaking his head he asked me, "Darling, are you okay?" And then he switched into Gaelic, "You refused the snack I sent you. You need to keep up your energy." Sneering at the sight of Greg, my father sighed, "What is this mortal doing standing there with his shortcomings showing?"

I laughed and returned in Gaelic, "Papa, you know he has no shortcomings. I can't retract my retractiles and he thinks this is all make-believe, a prank."

"Not being able to retract means that--"

Greg waved a hand in front of my father and me, "Yoo-hoo, I'm here. It's impolite to speak gibberish in front of a guest." Turning to me, he asked, "Who is this guy?"

My father snapped at Greg. "Yes and it's impolite to remain naked when everyone around you is dressed." My father turned to me and barked an order, "You need to feed." And with a nod towards Greg he smiled sardonically. "He seems healthy; perhaps he'll offer to help you with your hunger."

Greg rolled his eyes and then went back to the bathroom, returning in a towel as my father guided me over to the bed. Sitting down, Daddy patted the satin and silk duvet for me to sit. Out of sorts and feeling like my romantic future was slipping away, I sat down, leaning my head on his shoulder.

Greg responded naively, almost apologetically, "I was going to buy her dinner last night, but she said she had a party to go to."

"Dr. House, my daughter is weak from saving your life last night. The smell of your blood is causing her to involuntarily drop her retractiles to feed." He smiled at Greg. "Perhaps you would do her the honors?"

Greg shook his head and laughed. "Daughter? This is a joke, right? You can't be more than thirty."

My father raised a weary eyebrow, shook his head and left the bedroom with the air of the aristocrat that he is.

"My father looks thirty, but he's a few years older than that." I said, my voice reflecting my frustration..

"I know some great plastic surgeons, but—" he raised his fingers in quotes, "_'Your father'_ can't be more than thirty-five, at the most."

"That man is Lord Larkin with estates all over the world."

Greg sauntered over to me and put his hand on my arm to pull my hand away from my mouth. He shook his head and snickered. "I would never have guessed that still waters ran this deep. You're one crazy woman. Let me see these orthodontics you have in your mouth."

He pulled my hand away as I tried to turn my head in the opposite direction. To stop me, he grabbed my chin. There was something in me that wanted him to know, wanted to find out if he could handle the dark secret I hid every day of my life.

His eyes narrowed as his head pulled back to study me. The logic in his brain wouldn't allow the luxury of believing that I could be a vampire. Instead he chose to believe that I was a freak, a cultist who had found a way to attach fangs over my real teeth.

"Are these beauties orthodontics attached to posts? My dentist keeps telling me I need to get one where I cracked my crown on a beer cap. How much do they cost?"

I grimaced and turned away from him. Crossing my arms over my chest, I refused to look at him.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Wow, I've offended you. I need to stay in character --okay, okay, here goes, did you get those fangs from your Mom's side?--because your 'Dad'--" he said with more quotes to emphasize that he wasn't convinced that he really was my father, "Seems to have normal teeth."

"My father has retractiles too, but my mother had none. I should be able to pull them back out of sight, but I'm so weak and hungry that being around your AB blood is sending signals to my body to feed."

His brows knitted together. "Feed? As in—go for the jugular?"

"Yes, your jugular would do nicely."

He jumped back away from me, a big grin on his face, convinced I was teasing him. "You 're really into this. You stay in character no matter what, don't you? So you and your friends last night think that you're all Vampires?" He pretended to stick out his fangs and do a Bela Lagosi impression, "And that your father is also a Vampire and looks that young because he...he...what?"

"My father was young when he was turned many years ago. The process took four days and was completed on his thirtieth birthday. I was conceived during the third night of his turning. He had sex with my mother the night before the process was complete for him. I am a very rare vampire. I have attributes of both vampires and mortals."

He shook his head and laughed out loud at me. "How special. Man, you guys are worse than Trekkies. I'm sorry, as kinky as this is; I'm just not able to do the whole suck your blood thing and pretend to be immortal. Maybe you can find a nice guy at the next Comicon. I'm more into kinky threesomes than kinky vampires."

I sighed in defeat and felt tears starting to come, but I refused to let him see them. I let out a little laugh and walked over to the window as he dressed. "Well, it was worth a try. Some guys go for it." I swallowed hard. "They've plowed the drive and I think you can make it out of here."

"Do you know where my jacket is?"

"I think it was more or less destroyed in the melee yesterday. Just a second."

I went down the hall to my father's room and found a cashmere coat, taking it back to Greg. "You can just leave it at work for me. My father won't mind."

He wrinkled his nose, "You really should think about taking your fangs off. You look strange."

"Yeah, I probably should."

He walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, looked me in the eye and then snorted with laughter. "You really had me going last night. And the whole 'Dad' thing, that's hilarious. You actually resemble him. Are you related?"

"Yeah, distant cousins. Well, I'll walk you to the door."

We walked silently down the stairs and then I opened the door, letting him out. I knew that none of my father's guests would bother him since I had made it clear that he was with me. I didn't bother walking him to his car. I smiled and waved when he looked back as he got into the driver's seat. He waved too and then drove off into the New Year. My heart began to ache as I saw the last of his taillights go down the long winding drive.

My father was smart enough not to say anything about my long face. But Mario couldn't keep his mouth shut. Mario had been turned by one of my father's sect, Catrina. Catrina had fallen for the big lout back in the seventies. He was part of the Bono family in New York, the kind of guy with very little neck and way too many muscles. His power all lay below the neckline. Despite not being the brightest tool in the toolshed, he did have the gift of observation after years of being a bodyguard for the Dapper Don himself. We tried to keep him from showing up after the funeral of one of the underboss, but he couldn't stay away from the Family. So he changed his haircut and hair color and told them all that he was a long lost cousin, Joseph, from Pittsburgh where some of Mario's family had moved. The idiots believed him. Joseph, aka Mario the vampire, became a hit man for the Mob. When he killed he left no blood. The mob and cops both thought it was just his trademark; they didn't know the truth as to why they never saw him during the day and why he always left the victim high and dry (so to speak.)

"Youse like that guy, don ya Keer?" Mario asked me.

"He's just a guy, Mario. A mortal." I responded half heartedly.

"Is he having a hard time believing that you're in the blood?" _In the blood _was another way of saying I was a vampire.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. We work together so it's better that he thinks it's a joke."

"Maybe I could turn him for you?"

I waved my hand furiously, remembering the only other person that Mario had turned. It had been an Italian woman, Niccola, who wore too much makeup and had a little too much meat on her bones, even being dead. She moaned day and night about not getting enough to eat, so Mario began letting her come on his hits. It hadn't been a good idea because the Don had put a hit on Niccola's old boyfriend. When she found out, she shot Mario with a silver bullet. If my father hadn't been in New York that night, Mario would have been gone for good. As punishment, my father shot Niccola through the heart with a silver bullet and then refused to save her. Daddy hadn't been fond of her from the start; she whined too much.

After that fiasco, he started to enforce an old rule of most vampire kings--No one turned a mortal without first asking his permission. In gratitude for saving him and for getting rid of his nagging protoge, Mario became my father's enforcer, carrying out punishments whenever one of his sect violated the Vampire Code.

I stopped cold and looked deep into Mario's wood colored eyes, "Listen carefully, I never want Dr. House turned or, for that matter, hurt or fed upon—ever. I'm looking to you to help enforce that, understand Mario? Dr. House has AB positive blood, but he is _not_ a Guardian, so I want him left alone. He's too important to medicine; he saves numerous lives. We don't want to turn him, okay?"

Mario nodded, apparently taken back by my serious demeanor. "Wow, kid, you got it bad for this Joe. Who knows, maybe someday he'll come around." He gave me a pat on the back and then went back to his conversation with the others around the table. I looked up and saw a mixture of sympathy from the older vampires and frustration from the younger ones. Greg's AB blood and the fact that he wasn't a Guardian made him a huge temptation and they were all a little miffed that I wouldn't share, especially since I wasn't going to be feeding off of him. It was downright selfish of me.

"That goes for all of you!" I growled and then went back up to my bedroom to sulk.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My father let me pout for an hour or so and then came up to see me in my room. The fire was going and my cousin's mantel clock that I inherited had just struck eight. Sitting on the bed with his hand gently on my arm I looked up into my father's concerned face. He was a handsome man, almost beautiful like Rob Lowe. We both had somewhat small, angular features. There was nothing really soft about my father's looks, but there was nothing hard about him either. Where Greg's nose was larger, more substantial, my father's nose was straight and narrow, coming to a gentle point just above his thin, but inviting lips. Women were very attracted to him. He never had difficulties recruiting a willing donor for his dinner.

"Acushla, what do you find so attractive in this man?"

"He's not a vampire for one thing. I'm tired of dating vampires. They don't seem to want to commit. Maybe it's because asking someone to commit for centuries is too much. I want someone who really wants to build a life with me, just me."

"Despite Caleb's faults, it seemed as if he wanted that too."

"Daddy, don't go there. I don't want to discuss my relationship with Caleb, especially with you. Besides, it's more than that. I find Greg funny, irreverent, intelligent, somewhat romantic and in some ways he's as arrogant as you!"

My father winced and then gave me that look, as if he just smelled a dead animal.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Our blood mixing together. What happens? I've never been through this before."

"The overwhelming desire to have sex with you will wane, but he'll still find himself physically and mentally attracted to you. If you leave the Princeton area, he'll feel it. He'll have this strange feeling that there is a void that has to be filled and subconsciously, he'll want to fill it by finding you. In the meantime, as long as you're geographically near, he'll be able to go about his business for the most part. But if you have a strong emotion or if he has one, you'll both feel it. The bond is forever unless of course you find a bana-bhuidseach who can break it."

I shrugged. "Well, if we can both go about living our lives, I don't see any need to do anything."

"Be careful, my darling, this bond isn't the same for everyone, it all depends on the makeup of the mortal how strong or what direction it takes."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Medzaluna**

I went back to work, throwing myself into the newest protocol and into polishing our recent paper. There was no sign of the cashmere coat I had loaned Greg. It wasn't as if my father missed it; he didn't really wear it. It was a gift from a friend in Europe and several sizes too large for him. I had always liked the coat, but my father likes his clothes tailored so it stayed in his closet behind the coats that he did wear during the winter. Still, I expected to see it when I came to work, but as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, I stopped looking for it and continued to concentrate on my work.

I saw him once in March down in Emergency. Actually, I could feel him before I turned the corner. The connection between us was strong; I knew when he was in the building, when he was lonely, when he was angry. I'm sure that he felt something too, although I'm not sure if he would understand that what he was feeling was my presence or my feelings. As I turned the corner I swallowed hard and braced myself to face him. He was sucking on a lollipop, eyes closed and Nike clad feet up behind a counter, apparently taking a break (from what I wasn't sure.) I had to pick up a sample of blood for analysis, the doctor suspecting that the patient might have a rare blood disease. I felt my heart twinge as I walked past him. Having just arrived at work, I wondered what he was doing in the hospital at night. He didn't notice me, or, if he did, pretended not to. Sleep evaded me that night. I thought about the calm look on his face, his right cheek extended with the lollipop nestled against it. I wondered if he missed me. If he did, it hadn't been enough to make him want to see me, even under the pretext of returning the coat. Maybe it was our bond, or maybe it was just a wild guess, but I think he had a hard time defining me and, sometimes Greg would rather ignore a problem than deal with it. I'd seen him do that whenever he didn't have an easy answer like how to deal with his leg or his previous Vicodin addiction.

I had been invited to deliver my paper to the Oncology and Hematology Association's big conference to be held the last week of June in London. I love London in the summer and was looking forward to going. Staying over a couple of hours after my shift one Tuesday, I went to see Lisa before I left for home..

The door to her office was open and she motioned for me to enter as she finished her conversation on the phone. Her back was rigid and she was smoothing out the skirt of her Cavalli suit. Venturing into the room, I looked around and despite all the efforts to make it look professional; I saw at least a dozen photos of her daughter on the walls and various tables. I had to smile. Lisa doesn't seem like the motherly type, but clearly from the photos, she was a doting mother of a happy baby girl.

The receiver was back in the cradle and she was looking up at me.

"Rachel sure is growing up fast." I said pointing to a newer photo.

An instant smile at the mention of Rachel passed over her face. Nodding with vigorous agreement she chirped, "She sure is. She's almost twenty months now."

"How's the adoption going?"

Her face dropped with frustration. "They keep telling me it will be just a few weeks, maybe a month, but that was at the end of January. Now they say with budget cuts, that they have less staff and it's hard to get the adoptions completed, but they assure me it has nothing to do with my eligibility."

"Good."

She folded her hand together. "What's up? Are you ready for your big conference?"

I nodded. "I wanted to ask if you would mind if I take a few weeks off at the end of the conference for vacation?"

Laughing, she sat back in her chair. "My God, you want to take a vacation? That's a first! As long as the department is handled while you're gone, I don't care. Where are you going?"

"I may stay just outside of London, in Ely or I may fly over to Ireland or Italy; my family has homes all over."

She seemed surprised. "Really? Are they wealthy?"

"I guess you could say that. I don't really think of it that way because I was born in Ireland and it just seemed natural to travel around Europe."

"You were?"

I smiled and nodded.

"You don't have an accent."

_Well, that depends on who's doing the listening. I've lived in the USA for the last forty odd years. "_I came over when I was young. But, I go back and spend time now and then in Ireland." The reality was that in the seventies I had gone back for five years to establish a new history to keep people from asking how I could be over a hundred years old and look thirty.

"You have plenty of vacation time so I see no reason not to let you go. Just leave us a way to get in contact with you."

"As soon as my plans are finalized, I'll let you know."

She nodded and smiled. "Have fun."

"Thanks."

I turned to go, but was stopped by the vision of House standing, talking to someone in front of Lisa's office. Hesitating, I must have given Lisa the impression that I didn't want to see him, which was true enough.

"Kiara? You and House on the outs?"

I sighed and turned back to her. "It's just like you said, he got bored and seemed to lose interest. I just don't want to rock the boat by parading in front of him."

Lisa chuckled to herself. "Don't worry; if he's lost interest, I doubt he'll even bat an eye when you walk out. Once he's sucked his fun out of someone, he tends to ignore you."

I winced at the idea of him sucking anything out of me. But, not wanting to give Lisa the impression that I was a coward, I opened the door with some trepidation and entered the little foyer where Lisa's non-existent assistant would normally sit if she had one. Lisa had a hard time keeping assistants. She had the mistaken view that they had the same eighty hour work ethic that she has. Within a month of being tired and frustrated, there would be a resignation letter on Lisa's desk, sometimes giving two weeks, often giving no warning-- just an inventive excuse as to why they had to leave so abruptly.

My blue-eyed nemesis was standing next to a young man in a lab coat, looking through a file. The painful look on the young man's face told me that he had already been humiliated and was simply waiting for House to stick the dagger all the way through so he could go heal. I opened the door. Having to pass to his side within two feet of him, I did so as quietly as I could, but I knew that he would sense that I was near. I thought I was going to make a clean getaway when I heard his amused voice.

"I can feel you creeping away. Are you still ashamed about our wild night of kinky sex?"

I immediately glanced at the young man who looked relieved that someone else was receiving House's attention. The relief was so palpable that I thought the man might get on his knees to thank me.

"You call that sex?" I responded, turning to look at Greg directly in his mischievous eyes. "Seemed more like foreplay to me. I guess next time I'll have to stay awake." It wasn't until the smile crept across Greg's mouth that I realized I had insinuated that we might have sex again. I blushed and saw a glint of satisfaction in his eyes as he practically threw the chart into the young man's chest.

He grinned as the youngster dashed down the hall at a rather fast clip. Then he turned his full attention to me. "Miss me?"

"No." I lied. "I did wonder if you were ever going to return the coat."

"You know, I've had women leave earrings, a book, a necklace, even a bra, just as an excuse to see me again, but that was a unique twist--giving me something that _I was_ supposed to return. Brilliant."

"If that were true, I would have used the excuse months ago and ventured down to your office to remind you to return it. Frankly, you can keep the coat. My father has plenty and that one is too large for him." I said this with a finality to indicate to him that the discussion was over. Walking to the front doors to go home, I heard the clack, clack of his cane behind me. I turned and noticed that, although he was using the cane, it wasn't really supporting him; he was using it more as a dramatic prop than an aide.

"Coffee?" He yelled out at me.

My heart jumped up into my throat. I stopped at the door and looked at my feet, trying to find my voice. I turned and motioned for him to follow me outside where I could talk to him in private. I noticed that behind him at the nurses' desk stood a bemused Lisa, who had evidently seen our repartee and was curious enough to emerge from her office to study us.

His eyes followed mine back to Cuddy. Shrugging his shoulders at her, he rolled his eyes, "I'll be back; she just wants more of my love-juices."

Lisa frowned and took off in the opposite direction.

We walked out to the end of the sidewalk. "Greg, I can't go for coffee with you. After what you said on New Year's Day and when you didn't call, I was upset. I don't want to put myself through that again."

Once again he looked amused. "I had no interest in bonking you again. I just need to ask a favor."

I was embarrassed, turning a nice pink and swallowing hard. "No, of course you don't want to have ..." My throat tightened up and I had to clear it. "What did you need?"

He looked side to side to see if we were being overheard. "I need blood."

I blinked hard and pulled my head back in wonder. "Excuse me?"

"My shrink just called and ordered a blood test to see if I'm using any opiods. I don't know if you heard, but I had a fall last week...on my bad thigh. I was in a lot of pain and took a "little." He must have seen the smug look on my face because he quickly added, "Look, I've already stopped taking it...I was just in so much...hell, are you going to help me?"

"Why not just explain to your shrink what happened?"

"My agreement with the New Jersey Medical Licensing Board was no Vicodin-- period. Any opiods in my system and I'm struck off."

"Then why chance it?"

"Because my shrink just asked for a sample two weeks ago. Usually he waits a few months before asking for the next one. I think someone from PPTH called him and tipped him off."

There was a touch of desperation to his voice and I could see he was worried. I had heard from a nurse in Emergency that he hadn't really 'fallen' but was pushed by the wife of one of his patients. Word was that he had fallen into a group of chairs, twisting and bruising his bad leg.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked with some suspicion.

"Well, you could either give me a vial of clean AB positive blood or you could write up a report stating that my blood-work came back clean."

"I become an accomplice in your deception? What do I get for my troubles?"

"A cashmere coat?"

"I told you I don't want it."

"Okay, how about my silence?"  
"About New Year's Eve? No one would believe you."

"Hmmm. Maybe not Cuddy or Wilson but Dieter Kramer might believe me."

The blood dRianed from my face and I crumbled to the ground.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few weeks earlier House had been patientless, bored and filling his time with computer games and practical jokes on Wilson. Sitting in his office, he was playing an old favorite, _Grand Theft Auto_, when he noticed the door to his office open.

"Dr. House?"

The man whose head was sticking tentatively through the office door had to be about forty, maybe a little younger. He was graying at the temples, but still had the smoother skin of someone who was just reaching middle age. From just looking at him, House summed the man up in one word, intelligent. The gray eyes were focused and aware of his surroundings. His motions were tentative, but his voice was definitive—he knew what he wanted. Behind him was a younger version of the middle aged man. He had blond hair and a rounder face, but they could pass for cousins.

Without acknowledging who he was, House asked, "And you are?"

"Dr. Dieter Kramer, PhD." The tall man entered the office with his thin, wiry, arm extended in a handshake. "This is my assistant, Herman Hirsch."

House debated whether to shake the man's hand; he wasn't convinced that he liked these men or the intrusion. After giving the hand a brief yank, the men took a seat although none had been offered.

"Dr. House, we're anthropologists. I quit my teaching position at Columbia to do some...well, let's just call it research. I believe that you could be of significant help to my research."

"Are you studying Neanderthals, because a few women have called me one."

Kramer smiled, "No. This may seem personal, but I understand that you were seen having dinner with Dr. Kiara Larkin?"

House didn't reply, not sure he liked where this was going.

The man gave a brief smile, as if he was amused, but not surprised by House's reaction. "Dr. House, I believe you may be in great danger." Dr. Kramer shifted in his seat, leaning forward to address House. "This is going to sound ridiculous to a man of science like you, but, did any mention of vampires come up at this dinner?"

House tried not to react, but an eyebrow slipped up, letting Kramer know that his interest had been piqued.

"I assure you, Dr. House, they exist and you are lucky to be sitting here after your encounter with Dr. Larkin. I understand that you were seeing each other, but not now?" Dieter continued when there was no response. "I suspect that she may have bitten you because of your blood type, AB positive. It may be that you don't remember—vampires can inject powerful chemicals that interfere with your memory—but someone on the inside has informed us that you were seen several months ago with bite marks on your neck."

House, now more annoyed than amused, asked, "Where is this going? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell us what happened and everything you know about Kiara Larkin."

"And I'd do this because...?"

"To rid this world of these subhuman creatures who do nothing but prey on the innocent." The anthropologist's voice grew tense and vehement.

"Assuming what you're telling me is true, why haven't you just gone to the authorities and--"

Kramer leaned even further in his seat, pounding his fist lightly on the desk. "Dr. House, the fact that you didn't throw me out at the first mention of vampires means that you either believe me or something I've said has pricked something in your memory." Kramer sat back, took a deep breath as he stared at House.

The men continued to eye each other, evaluating each other, determining whether they could be trusted. House thought the man now looked tired, worn down, as if he had seen a lifetime of sadness. It was the look that Wilson had whenever he lost another child to cancer.

"Let me start over. Dr. House, I'm not just an anthropologist, I'm a Guardian."

"Oh, goody for you. What's a Guardian?"

"For centuries we've protected humans from vampires. We've inherited a gene that allows us to vaguely _feel _the presence of a vampire. We seek out their sleeping lairs and destroy them."

House smiled, "Oh, this is rich. Am I being punked?" He pretended to look around for the camera.

"Dr. House, we've turned our attention to a sect of vampires that appears to have come out of Ireland and migrated to Princeton. We believe that the vampires are linked to the Larkin family. It may even be that Dr. Larkin's father is one and, we believe, he may be the leader of this sect--"

House jumped up, "Yeah, yeah, yadee yada. You're out to purify the world of vampires and you need my help. Well, dude, I've spent my time in the nuthouse, maybe you ought to think about booking a room. I've got things to--"

The man became agitated, holding an arm out as if to physically prevent House from throwing him out. "Dr. House! Please! I come from a long line of Guardians and it's always like this, the victim can't believe it at first. When they do, it's too late; they're either dead or turned. You have AB positive blood...they probably know it, at least she knows it. You're blood is a delicacy to them. If she's told her father about you, you could be their next meal anytime they feel like a treat. She's dangerous, you need to be careful."

"Thanks, but I'm not as worried about Kiara Larkin as I am of you two."

"I know you don't understand this or believe it now, but if you ever want more information, contact me at this number." He handed House a card with his telephone number.

As the anthropologists left his office House called out, "You say you were born with a gene to hunt Vampires?"

The man turned back, "We have to have both the gene and AB positive blood. It allows us to both track and attract the vampire so that we can kill them. You have to have both to be a true guardian, the gene and the blood type. As you know, you have the blood type but obviously don't have the gene."

"How do you know my blood type?"

"We have someone on the inside. They work here in the hospital."

"But wouldn't Dr. Larkin or any other vampire smell the blood type, become suspicious and kill you?"

"Thousands have the blood type, but only a few are true Guardians. It would be impossible for her to know which was which unless we revealed ourselves."

"If you think she is a vampire, why not just drive a baseball bat through her heart?"

"Because she is special; the most dangerous vampires of all." He paused and narrowed his eyes to indicate his seriousness. _"She's alive! _She's also the daughter of the King and when we do kill her, we're going to have a plan in place. The entire Princeton sect will come for us when we do."

House said nothing, but gave the man a dismissive nod.

"Goodbye Dr. House, I hope you call me before it's too late." Kramer exited into the traffic of the hospital corridor. House followed the man with his eyes until he was out of sight.

Shaking his head, House felt himself going down the rabbit-hole.

"Are you sure that he and Dr. Larkin were seeing each other?" Dieter asked.

"She said that he was. She's gotten pretty close to him."

Dieter sat in the passenger seat looking at the photo of Gregory House. "There's something about him. Something I could sense. Almost as if he were a Vampire himself. But, he isn't. I don't know what it is, but make sure she stays close to him. We need to know what's going on. We have to come up with a plan to eliminate the sect. I think House might be our in."

"He didn't sound very cooperative." Herman said as he started the car.

"True, but we may not need his cooperation, just his connection."

Herman nodded as they drove out of the parking lot.

"Do you believe in Vampires?"

Wilson stopped in the corridor to stare at House. It sounded as if he was sincerely asking him a question about Vampires. House appeared to be genuine, but Wilson knew how good House was at lying. "I really don't have time for your humor today. I've got two patients that require surgery and--"

House threw up his hands, "I just asked a question. It takes a yes or no response. I didn't think you'd need days to contemplate it."

Wilson shrugged his shoulders and sighed as he continued his journey to the Oncology ward. "No. Now leave me alone."

House let Wilson take off but knew that the Oncologist's curiosity would get the best of him. Sure enough, before lunch Wilson was standing in his office with a quizzical look on his face.

"Vampires?"

"Yeah, you know—the undead blood suckers with the hot undead blood sucking bitches that do their bidding."

"What are you--"

"I just wondered if you thought there could be vampires among us, besides Cuddy."

"I know that some people who believe that human blood has nourishing properties and that drinking it gives you strength, but real, _live _vampires?" He tilted his head.

"Dead."

"What?"

"Real _dead _vampires. I mean, by definition, vampires are dead, right?"

Clearly exasperated, Wilson shook his head. "House, what are you leading up to?"

"I had a guy who claimed to be a vampire killer in my office."

"Did you give him a psych referral?"

House rolled his eyes, "No, I gave him a blood donation." He paused. "He claims that Kiara Larkin is a vampire. Did she ever mention anything to you? Like the fact that your carotid artery is highly visible on your neck?""Hematologists always get the vampire joke thrown at them. It's not funny, they do important work."

"But wouldn't it be the perfect cover for a vampire?"

"House, you're being ridiculous." Wilson was ending the conversation; it was becoming absurd.

"Up for a pizza after work?"

"Sure.

Greg was looking down at me, laughing.

"You met Dr. Kramer?" I could hear the waver in my voice.

Greg smiled, knowing he had me over a barrel. Reaching down, he helped me stand up. "Ah, so you do know him. Well, you'll be interested to know that he has a high opinion of you. He thinks you're the scariest type of vampire in the universe."

"The man is crazy." I wasn't lying. He had hounded me off and on since he was a teenager. Suspicious, but without real concrete evidence, he had been trying to prove that I was a vampire for years. Oh, there were chunks of time that I wouldn't hear from him, years when he went to college or taught at university, but he'd always come back to harass me. He once entered an elevator in an office building which I was taking just to confront me.

"_I know what you are and when I can prove it, I'll take you to my friends. We'll find out how you can be a vampire and still be alive. Then we'll kill you."_

Killing a _live_ vampire isn't that easy. We heal at a faster rate than the average person, but if the trauma is dramatic enough, we can die. We don't catch illnesses. I'll never die of cancer or swine flu, but I almost died of a carriage accident when I was twenty-six. Our horses had been spooked by lightning and the carriage was tossed on its side bouncing me and my maid like ping pong balls inside. The maid died, I was unconscious for days. It was a miracle that I survived. I only did so because my father gave me some of his blood. He was beside himself, unable to let me go out in a carriage for months. The day of the elevator ride with my nemesis, I thought about exposing my retractiles and taking Dr. Kramer out of my life permanently. But, the truth is I've only killed someone once, another Guardian, years ago and I'm still haunted by it. It was self-defense, but it was unnerving. Kramer and his ilk were right, I posed a unique threat. I was able to exist in the daylight and therefore, it was not only harder to detect that I was vampire, but it was harder to take a _live_ vampire unaware. A dead vampire _had_ to sleep during the day and couldn't be exposed to sunlight while live ones could exist (fight) during the daylight. If they could tolerate sunlight, then they could physically guard their lairs. The Guardians knew that there was a small but significant group of live vampires in existence, but they didn't know much about us. They didn't realize that our powers were limited and not as keen as our vampire brothers and sisters. I was stronger than a human, but not as strong as a dead vampire. I could use the same powers, but mine weren't as effective. More important, I was mortal and easier to kill because I couldn't heal as fast as a vampire. If the trauma to my body was great enough, I'd die. If the Guardians could determine how the live vampire came into existence, then they could figure out ways to find us, kill us, and eliminate their biggest threat.

Greg shrugged. "He may be crazy, but that just seems to make him a bigger threat to you, doesn't it? He sure wants me to tell him all I know about you."

"Greg, he wants to kill me." I said it as soberly as I could.

His bravado left him. His face fell, letting me know that it finally occurred to him that this wasn't a joke. "I know Kiara." And with no further pretense, Greg said quietly, "You know I won't say anything. I'm not sure how I feel about you and your psychosis, but I don't want you hurt." Without a goodbye, Greg turned to go back inside.

I don't know what possessed me, but I called out to him, "I'll do it."

He turned and from the look on his face he was as surprised as I was from my outburst.

"On one condition—you have to give me a sample of your blood. I want to know if you really are telling the truth about the Vicodin. I'm going to be able to tell your level of use. If you're still taking it, I'll know."

"You sure you aren't just going to use it for a little snack?" He smirked.

I smiled and gave him a mischievous wink. "Who knows what I'll do with it after I test it. Come on back inside, I'll take it now and--" I put my fingers up in quotes, "'Run' the test."

We went down to the lab and I took the sample, logged it into the system and even started the assays as my curious staff started to show up for work. They were all wondering what I was doing staying so late at work. Greg left after I pulled the sample. I didn't need to actually run the test to know that the level of Vicodin was low. Just by the taste I could tell that he had, indeed, stopped or slowed the use of the drug in the last forty-eight hours.

Two hours later I had an official drug test, signed by me, stating that no opiates or alcohol had been found in his system. I was very tired, having spent a long night and early morning on my feet. I slapped a copy of the test on Cuddy's desk for transmittal to the appropriate authorities and then took a copy up to his office. The lights were on, but no one was in the office. I slipped the report on his desk and then saw it; there was a photo of Greg with his arm around the waist of the new Endocrinologist, Lana Meslinger. I had run into her on her first morning at the hospital. I was late getting out of the lab and she was early, having decided to do some exploring. We shared an elevator and, after noting the name on my lab coat, she introduced herself, we talked briefly and then I exited the elevator. She was probably thirty-five, maybe forty and sounded very personable and intelligent from the few moments we shared together.

She looked hot in the photo. They were standing along the banister next to a body of water, probably the ocean. She was leaning up snuggly against him and he was smiling. A flash of jealousy rushed through my body and my retractiles dropped for a moment. I quickly looked around as I retracted them. I don't know why I was surprised that he was dating someone. Lana was very sophisticated and tall, more attractive than me in a much more striking fashion. I was the pretty girl next door; she was the hot woman on the bar stool in the smoky lounge. I could understand the attraction.

He walked through the door and raised an eyebrow. "You're still here?"

"I decided to stay and do the test this morning. The results are here. I've already given Lisa the results." I started to inch my way from the desk to the door. "Well, I ought to get going."

He looked down at the desk and saw the report sitting next to the photograph. "We make a lovely couple, don't we?" He said as he picked up the picture.

I nodded, but couldn't say anything without bursting into tears.

"She's the new Endocrinologist."

I tried to swallow my emotions but my voice wobbled, "I know, we've met. I better go."

"You're jealous."

"I'm tired."

"I have to admit, she's not as hot in bed as you."

"Too much information."

He laughed. "You _are _jealous."

"I'm disappointed."

"Why?"

I took a risk. "I thought _we_ made a lovely couple."

He chuckled and rubbed his neck. "Yeah, as long as I had blood."

I went on the defense. "It's not like that. I didn't want...Oh to hell with it. I hope you two will be happy. Bye, Greg."

"We will. Bye Kiara. Bundle up, that wind has a _bite_ to it."

I said nothing, but left as fast as I could without looking as if I was running. I made it home and collapsed in my bed.

_Why am I still affected by him? Why do I care?_ I knew the answer, not only did I find him smart and attractive, but we were connected through the sharing of our blood and always would be. I missed him.

The phone rang and without looking at the caller i.d. I picked up. "Hello?"

"Thanks."

My stomach cramped at the sound of his voice. "You're welcomed."

"I owe you one."

"Greg, it may sound mean, but the best thing you can do for me is to stay out of my life." I hurt just saying it, but I meant it.

"I can't promise for sure, but I'll try."

**Dear Readers:**

**Thanks again for your reviews and for marking the story as a favorite. I also appreciate the ones who have subscribed to it so that they get notice of my updates. I love to write, but I wouldn't do it for free unless I knew someone else was enjoying it. So thanks again!**

**Kim (Gorblimey2)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Guardianship**

"Brilliant."

I turned around to look at who was talking only to find Caleb Burberry. Throwing my arms around him, I hugged his neck and kissed his cheek. "Oh my God! I haven't seen you in almost forty years! What are you doing here?"

"I'm an oncologist at St. Barts now. I saw your beautiful face on the brochure and decided to attend the evening session so that I could hear your voice. That was a brilliant presentation. You must be very proud of your team and your results."

"I am!" I was a little over-enthusiastic, but I was so excited about seeing Caleb, I didn't care about how conceited I sounded. "Dinner? Can you go to dinner?"

He smiled; his perfect white teeth and shiny blue eyes danced with amusement. "Of course, I only came to the conference to see you." Caleb was so handsome that it was difficult not to stare at him. When I first saw Lawrence of Arabia in the early sixties, I immediately thought that the unknown actor bore a striking resemblance to Caleb. I still think the young Peter O'Toole could have been Caleb's 'uglier' brother. Tall and lanky but extremely fit, Caleb is graceful and energetic whenever he moves. I used to watch him when he would get out of bed. He was like a warm breeze floating across the floor in the night, so lithe, so agile; he was sex in a can.

Caleb was forty-four and a Roman Senator when he was turned during the time of Gaius Marius. The year my father was turned, Caleb was a leading general practitioner in London, having moved to Britain during the years that Hadrian battled with the Scottish tribes along the Scottish borders. My father had just become the King of Ireland and was having trouble with several errant vampires who were testing my father's ability to lead when Caleb, the King of the United Kingdom, stepped in and informed the unruly ones that if they didn't behave, he would assist my father in making sure that they did. Caleb is an old vampire with enthralling tales of feeding off of Julius Caesar one night after a battle in Gaul and playing cricket with W.G. Grace. He has incredible powers and prestige in the world of vampires and could easily assume rule over Europe if he wanted, but he didn't want the trouble.

"Where should we go?" I asked.

"There's an Indian restaurant down the road. The food is good."

Contrary to popular belief, vampires can eat, but it doesn't satiate them because they don't digest the food completely and even what they do digest it, most of the nutrients don't enter the blood stream. Only blood satiates a dead vampire and they have to feed before they can eat mortal food. They eat mortal food to be social and because it still tastes good. I, on the other hand, require both blood and a good old hamburger.

My arm slipped into his and we leaned into each other with an air of comfort that only two friends who had known each other for more than a century could. I could talk to Caleb about anything. We had numerous decades of history between the two of us. We understood things about the world that only comes from being in the trenches together. Caleb had always had a soft spot for humans. He rarely killed them, always took just what he needed when he fed and then let them go. My father emulated him, although my father had killed humans on occasion, especially in the beginning when he was learning the ropes. But since then, he only killed when a mortal threatened to destroy him or me.

"Caleb, why Oncology?"

"I tried switching to law in the eighties, but it wasn't me. I went back to medicine and did a residency in Oncology at Trinity."

"I'm not surprised; you're good at just about anything you try."

He grinned. "Except Whist."

I laughed out loud, "Yes, except Whist! But, thankfully, that has nothing to do with the practice of medicine. Don't feel bad, it might not have my failure to properly explain the game."

"No, you were very patient, Kiara. The game reminds me of Ruff and Honours and I was never good at that either."

"Oh my, Caleb! I played that as a little girl."

"I remember how dazzling you were as a little girl. No one could put anything past you. You knew your alphabet by the time you were three. You were reading when you were four. Your father was very proud of you and bragged to anyone who would listen."

"He still is."

"I haven't seen him since—"

"Please, Caleb, let's not talk about it. I wish both of you would forget about it and things could get back to normal. It's been almost forty years."

He chuckled, "Darling, you know for us forty years is just a few days."

"Not for me. I'm going to die someday."

He put his arm around my shoulder, "Not for a very long time and maybe by then we can find a way to turn you."

I gave him a side hug, "Caleb, I never really wanted to be turned. Knowing I'm mortal makes my life more valuable to me."

He gave me a sad smile of acknowledgment, as if he understood only too well what I was saying. Kissing the top of my head he murmured, "I know. It is just my selfish wish to keep you on this Earth as long as possible. I cannot imagine a world without you. I only stayed away this long because of respect for your father's wishes and because I wasn't sure if you had forgiven me. But, when I heard that you were here, in London, and lecturing on a subject dear to my heart…well, the temptation was too much."

"I'm not my father, Caleb. I have my own life and I forgave you a long time ago. I've always considered you a part of my life. Funny, I thought it was you who didn't want contact with me."

His face collapsed. "You can't believe that I would ever push you out of my life."

I could see he was crushed by the idea that I was under the impression that he no longer cared about me. "Oh, Caleb, if I had known."

He stopped under a tree in Hyde Park and turned to me. There was so much wisdom in his eyes and so much pain. He seemed weary to me, as if he was tired of life. "Kiara, I've always loved you. Even after what happened and you left, I was still in love with you. I know you don't have those feelings for me, but I will always love you."

I knew this, I guess, despite our separation, I always knew that if I needed Caleb he would come to me. I loved Caleb deeply, but it hadn't been enough to keep us together in the end. I don't know why, heaven knows the man is incredibly handsome, intelligent and charismatic. But after we parted and then he and my father had their falling out, I was hurt and I thought the relationship had been ruined forever.

"I understand and I can't tell you how much comfort that gives me."

There was an awkward pause as we both realized that neither of us could give the other what we really desired yet there was so much affection between us we put our desires behind us to forge a more realistic relationship.

Caleb swallowed hard and forced a smile across his face. "Come along, I think there's a Chicken Korma with your name on it."

We ate dinner and did our best to catch up, but with forty years and numerous common denominators between us, we both realized we'd be at it for a long time so we decided to continue the conversation at my hotel. We had been drinking wine and talking for hours in my suite when Caleb glanced at his watch.

"I have to get back to my flat before sunrise. Can I see you again?"

"I'd love that. I'm here for another two days and then I'm off to Bagnoli Irpino and Lago Luceno."

"Ah, Vampire friendly territory! I haven't been there for at least a decade. Perhaps I'll tag along; I haven't seen Sophia in years. Would that be a problem?"

"I'd love that! We'd have a blast." And then it hit me. "Oh, wait. My father may be coming over to join me for a few days."

He took a deep breath. "Ah, I see."

"Oh, Caleb, it's perfect. The two of you can put your differences behind you."

"I have no differences with your father. It's your father that you have to assuage."

"Well then, join me and let me take care of my father."

"It's your funeral."

"Which will be yours if you don't get home before sunlight."

He kissed me lightly on the cheek and left. I debated between going to sleep or staying up until my lecture at 11:00 am. But it wasn't long and my head was bobbing. I took my shoes off, curled up on the sofa and let sleep creep over me.

I was late and couldn't get a cab to stop for me. The underground was several blocks in the other direction which meant I'd waste precious time trying to back track to the station. Every pore of my body was excreting beads of panic. I started running towards St. Barts where the lecture was being held while trying to flag a cab at the same time. The Universe, not content with just making me late, decided to plague me with rain, not just drizzle but large m&m plops that made my hair start to flatten against my cheeks and the back of my neck.

"Get in." A voice called out.

I turned and saw a silver Ka at the curb with Gregory House sitting behind the wheel. I don't know how many seconds passed before it registered that he was really here.

"For God's sakes, close your mouth and get in. It's pissing down!"

I came to and climbed in. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to deliver Wilson's paper."

"Jim's? Why?"

"He fell down a flight of stairs yesterday and has a compound fracture of his femur. He's in a full leg cast. I'm the only one available with a current passport who knows how to pronounce _myeloproliferative neoplasm."_

"I would have done it for him."

"We tried to get a message through to you, but you were out. So I flew over. I just got in and rented the only thing available--this tuna can of a car. Now where am I taking you?"

"St. Barts." I straightened up and looked out the windscreen, but the car didn't budge. I looked over at him.

His eyebrows were lifted, "And that would be …?"

"Oh, first right, another few blocks and I'll show you where to make the next right."

He took off and did surprisingly well for driving a clutch on the wrong side of the road. He dropped me off at the front lobby and I scrambled up the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. I was only five minutes late, but I looked like I'd done the 100 yard dash in a 100 year flood. About fifteen minutes later I noticed Greg coming through the door and taking a seat in the back. My heart quickened now that I wasn't rushing around and had time to think about the fact that he was here in London.

Every time I glanced up, his seductive eyes were on me. There was a look as if he was about to have me for dinner, the look of a hunter who had bagged a deer. I smiled at him and he gave me that sexy predator smile back. My insides went all squishy and fluttery, I felt like a schoolgirl with a crush on her professor.

I was only one third of a panel and felt as if I had held up my end of the presentation very well. There was half an hour of questions and congratulations from various doctors in the audience and then I was free, but Greg was nowhere to be seen. I walked down the hall and found a room full of Oncologists laughing. I couldn't get in because it was standing room only. I nudged one of the guys standing on his tip toes, peering over the crowd blocking the door.

"What's going on?"

He nodded to the room. "It's Gregory House. _Thee_ Gregory House. He's giving the Princeton Oncology Paper for James Wilson. He's hilarious. Besides, who wouldn't give their left nut to hear Gregory House give a talk?"

"Uh, well, I guess if I had a left nut, I would."

"Oh…yeah, sorry. I just meant—"

I held up my hand. "When will it be over?"

He looked at his watch, "Another half hour."

I took a seat in the hall and waited for Greg, amused at the number of times that I heard laughter spilling out from the conference room. Eventually most of the room cleared, but there was a crowd of adoring fans that accompanied the click clack of his cane as he hobbled out into the hall.

Looking down at me he shook his head, "How do you get rid of these jokers?"

"In your case, telling them to f#ck off would probably make them adore you even more. I suggest you just keep walking, eventually the waves will part and you'll emerge."

He gave me a sly smile and motioned for me to join him and his apostles. We walked as he gave sarcastic answers to their questions. Eventually, half way to the restaurant that I was taking him for lunch, he lost the last of his admirers.

"I don't believe it. Your groupies adore you."

"I have that effect."

"Are you flying home now?"

"You tired of me?"

"Yes."

"Liar."

"Where's your new toy?"

"Toy?"

"Lana."

He winced. "Lana didn't appreciate my brand of humor the other night so we're having a time out."

"How dare! The heartless b!tch. I just don't understand--you're so easy going."

"I told Cuddy that I'd be staying around to play for a few days."

"With whom?"

"Considering I don't play well with others…"

"Ah, so you'll be entering the monastery and taking a vow of silence?"

"No monasteries for you and me toots, vampires aren't allowed in church."

"You know nothing about vampires."

He chuckled. "I don't believe in vampires, but Dieter sure thinks you're one and a very important one at that. Look, I'm wiped out—jet lag. Can we get together this evening?"

"I could use a nap too."

The sun had gone down, but the evening was warm and mild so we sat down at a table outside on the sidewalk at a nice Parisian style café. The Brits were just starting to catch up with the continent when it came to outdoor dining. The number of outdoor cafes had boomed in central London over the last five years. The conversation had taken several different tracks and finally settled on the elephant in the room.

"Ah, but what if I told you I was a Vampire and could prove it?"

He shook his head. "God, you and your friends need a stint in Mayfield." Running his hand through his hair he sighed, "You know, you really would be hot if you could detach yourself from that cult."

I sighed.

He shrugged his shoulders, "However, despite your lunacy and since I'm in Britain, I'll still give you a good Austen Power's shag if you're up for it."

"How generous."

"I'm a saint." The sh!t-eating grin on his face went flat. "Seriously, do you want to at least hang out for—"

My cell phone rang. "Hello?"

The cultured British voice asked, "Where are you?"

I smiled. "Having dinner near Covent Garden, want to join us?"

"Us?" Caleb asked.

"A doctor from our hospital delivered a paper this morning at the seminar--Gregory House."

"Gregory House? _You're having dinner with House?_ What restaurant?"

"Cambridge Arms."

"I'm ten minutes out." He hung up.

Greg was not happy. "You invited someone to have dinner? I'm not really into threesomes when it involves another man. Now, another woman and--"

"Caleb Burberry. He's on his way."

Greg sat up in his chair, now apparently wide awake. "Professor Burberry, the researcher at St. Barts?"

"That would be him."

"How do you know him?"

"Family friend."

"Is he part of your cult?"

I could see that he wouldn't believe me anyway. "Oh sure. Caleb's the King of the British Empire vampires. He hung out with Sulla in Rome."

The sigh that escaped from House's body was filled with amusement. "Great, maybe he can tell me if Julius Caesar was bald."

We both dropped into several minutes of silence as we nursed our drinks. Caleb showed up a few minutes later. I was struck by just how handsome he looked in his blue pinstriped Bond Street suit and Armani shoes. I had to laugh; between Greg and Caleb, I couldn't tell whose eyes were bluer. Caleb leaned down and gave me a kiss on both cheeks then turned to shake Greg's hand. A reluctant hand came up to meet his and Caleb introduced himself.

"Caleb Burberry. I am so chuffed that we have a chance to meet, Dr. House."

"Really?" House asked sarcastically. "Why?"

"Your reputation is international. We've heard how brilliant you are and about your unorthodox approach to patient relationships."

"Oh, Caleb, you do have a way with words." I started to laugh. "Yes, he has a very unorthodox approach." I looked over at Greg.

He leaned back, letting his chair balance on two legs, and grinned. "So Caleb, I hear you were buddies with Sulla. Did he let you top off with his blood?"

I turned beet red as Caleb stared at me. He was very confused, unsure of what was going on. "Acushla? What is this about?"

House jumped in, "Kiara thinks you and she are vampires. Didn't you know? Apparently, there's a whole bunch of them in Princeton, which would explain why you can never get a parking spot at the Blood Bank."

Caleb still wasn't facing Greg so he couldn't see the stern look Caleb was giving me. Caleb clenched his jaw and asked, "Is he a Guardian? I can smell it now." Caleb was referring to the aroma of Greg's AB positive blood, the blood of a Guardian.

I shook my head. "No. Greg thinks I belong to a cult—"

Greg shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Guardian? My God! You _are_ part of it too!" Sitting up in his chair, Greg leaned forward completely bemused.

Caleb recovered, "Dr. House, I know all about Kiara's friends. We tease her all the time about them."

House snickered. "So you're not part of the cult?"

"Cult?" he asked with an air of naiveté.

"The cult that thinks they're Vampires."

"Oh...I'm part of the cult that worships Kiara." Caleb gave me an adoring smile and squeezed my hand to emphasize his point.

House's eyes narrowed. Looking at me, his eyebrows knitted together and he asked suspiciously, "Is this the guy?"

"Guy?" I asked.

"The one you lived with for six years?"

Caleb snickered. We had lived together for sixteen years, which to a vampire might as well be six years. It had been about forty years ago in London when I came over to complete a residency in Hematology. My father had approved of the relationship even though he constantly moaned that he never saw me. Caleb and I never married, but our neighbors thought we were. When we broke up, we agreed that I would get the coroner's office (of which has several vampire sympathizers) to file a death certificate showing that I had supposedly died so that Caleb could act the role of a widower. I then left, living in various places for several years until I eventually settled back with my father who had taken up residence in Princeton in the early thirties.

"Yes, I did live with Caleb awhile back."

The smile on Caleb's face was bittersweet. "Yes, Kiara is the one that got away. Has that every happen to you, ?"

Greg nodded. "Yes, there's one that got away...or probably pushed away is the more accurate description."

Caleb chuckled, "Yes, in a way the same thing happened to us, but we've managed to remain friends." Another squeeze of the hand.

I felt something strange, as if I was jealous, jealous of Caleb. I wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from at first, but then I realized that I was picking up on something that Greg was feeling. The close proximity coupled with our exchange of blood had made me sensitive to his feelings. I looked down so that I wouldn't give away that I knew. It made me wonder—what was he thinking? And why was he jealous?—he had Luscious Lana.

**Dear Readers...**

**Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading. Kim**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Connection**

House had a hard time admitting to himself that he was still fascinated by Kiara. Strangely, he could always tell when she was in the hospital at the same time he was. The first time he had felt her presence, he made his way to the basement to verify that she was, in fact, where he felt she was. He looked through the window of her lab and saw her bent over a station looking at several petrie dishes. The flash of desire he felt for her took him by surprise. His entire body stirred at the sight of her profile and he remembered the small hands that were now gripping the plate of agar, the way her brow pinched together when she was deep in thought, the way she moved gracefully around the laboratory. She slowly pulled up and looked towards the door, but he had quickly ducked out of sight. Unsure of what he was feeling or doing, House slipped quietly back up to his office, hovering over his desk as he thought about what had drawn him downstairs.

The truth was that there was something about her that had lingered since New Year's Eve. Whenever he made love to Lana, he tried desperately to block Kiara out, but her smell, the smoothness of her skin and the feel of her body wrapped around him invaded his mind no matter how hard he tried to block the memories. The sex with Lana didn't measure up against the yardstick that was established that winter night with Kiara.

But, as much as he was drawn to her, he was also repelled. Kiara was strange, her friends were weird and this cult she belonged to gave him the creeps. House couldn't understand why such an intelligent woman harbored such ridiculous ideas. Still, the time that he had spent with her had been more exciting and fulfilling than he had experienced in years and he was having a hard time shaking the feelings that he had—good and bad—for her.

Cuddy had staunchly refused to let him go with Wilson to the London Symposium. He'd discovered that Kiara was a key speaker at the conference and he had an overwhelming desire to go. By the second day of her absence he could no longer take it and bought a ticket to go to London whether Cuddy agreed to let him go or not. It was only dumb luck that Wilson had his accident (after a night of heavy boozing with House at the Sports Bar) and House was between patients. Having quickly read Wilson's paper, he ran down to her office and suggested himself as a substitute. He gave Cuddy a dazzling recap of it as he tried to convince her that he should be the one to go. Impressed with the presentation and swayed by the convenience of him being between patients, Cuddy agreed. House almost felt guilty for being so happy to see his friend so miserable. Almost.

Arriving in London, House had rented the car and paid the city fee to drive into London. He was trying to find St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the convention hall, but he was having a difficult time locating it. He kept making turns in the wrong direction, as if he was being drawn somewhere else. The rain didn't help. Despite the fact that the GPS was telling him to take a left, he pulled into the right turn lane and waited for the green filter before turning down the road. Even now House wasn't sure how he had found her, but he knew immediately that she was in the crowd on the curb. When Kiara emerged from the herd without an umbrella, looking like a wet cat, he smiled to himself and felt relief at having found her. His heart started to pound as he pulled to the curb and called out for her to get into the car.

Watching her give her lecture, he was surprised that he was jealous and yet proud of her proficiency in her field, the respect the audience had for her and how witty she was. Part of his reason for coming was to see if the attraction was real, if it was as strong in person as it was in absence. It was stronger. Despite his jealousy of her professional success, he found a strong need to possess her and it made him feel unsettled. He hadn't been this drawn to anyone like this, not even Stacy.

It took everything he could muster to pull himself away to give Wilson's presentation. Away from her, he took a deep breath and tried to clear his head. What was it about her? More importantly, what should he do about it? His relationship with Lana was as rocky as his relationship had been with Stacy; they fought constantly, made up passionately. But still, Lana was sane, unconnected to any cults, enjoyed the company of others, didn't hide herself away on the graveyard shift and usually tolerated his erratic and recently cranky behavior.

When this Caleb showed up, with his lithe body and sophisticated ways, House could tell that there was something between them and, once again, his body flooded with jealousy as he watched their affection for one another pour out. He tried to think about Lana, imagine her naked, but it wasn't working, his images kept morphing into those of Kiara.

"Where's the waiter? I'm hungry," House grumbled.

"I'm not sure." Kiara responded.

Caleb stood up, his 6'3" frame stretching up above them. Looking around, he politely motioned for a server to come to their table.

The male server, dressed in his starched white shirt and black trousers, gave them a plastic smile. "Are you ready to order?"

"I've eaten, but I would like a glass of Cabernet." Caleb said.

House quipped, "Already had a little O negative?"

"B positive." Caleb returned with a slight curve up of his lip.

"I'll have the Chicken Korma, the Dahl and an order of nan." Kiara said, ignoring the play between the men.

The remainder of the orders were placed as Kiara expertly steered the conversation in the direction of medicine, a subject that immediately garnered a cease fire between all the parties. House grudgingly had to admit that Caleb was not only brilliant, but he knew a tremendous amount about the history of medicine, even more than House.

After a brief lull in the conversation, Caleb turned to Kiara, "When are you leaving for Italy?"

Kiara immediately glanced at House to see his reaction. There was a glimpse of curiosity and then his face returned to its usual smirk. "I plan to leave tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow? What? I just got here! _I booked a week in London. I thought you'd show me around!" House's hands were gripping his eating utensils tightly as he glared at Kiara.

"_Me?" _Kiara was astonished. "Why me?"

"Because you're here, I'm here. I just thought..."

Caleb chuckled, "It seems, Kiara, that Dr. House had this all planned out."

"I'm sorry, Greg, but I'm leaving tomorrow for Bagnoli Irpino. I guess if you want to go--"

House could tell that she was going to half-heartedly invite him to Italy, but that she would probably phrase it so he wouldn't accept. Cutting her off, he bellowed, "Fine, I'll change my reservations and purchase a ticket to Italy."

Kiara gulped the air as she tried to regroup. The idea that Caleb, House and her father would all be together in their five bedroom villa was overwhelming. Kiara wished that she was safely ensconced in her little basement flat in Princeton.

"Greg, uh, it's pretty boring in Bagnoli Irpino. During the summer it's just a quiet little town with nice places to hike and a lake to put around on. You probably won't like it."

"Boring? You can't mean that. I can't imagine a boring day with you around. So do I fly into Rome?"

Shaking her head, Kiara corrected him, "Naples, you'll want to fly into Naples."

"Great, then I'll make my arrangements when I get back to the hotel."

Kiara looked at Caleb and tried to smile. He had a hard time holding back his laughter at her awkward situation.

Later, after House had returned to the hotel and Caleb walked with Kiara through Covent Gardens he put an arm around her and whispered, "I love to hunt here. There's something romantic about feeding on someone after they've spent a night here drinking, eating and dancing."

"Yes, all these little alleys would make it easier to find someone and feed. By the way, whatever happened to Vladimir?"

Caleb winced, realizing he had opened the door by talking about feeding. "I banished him from Britain and the last I heard he went to Gvor in Turkey."

"Oh, well I guess that's punishment enough."

"I doubt seriously that he's still there, Gvor would never tolerate his mouth. Besides, he's turned a woman, one that apparently knows how to handle him."

Kiara had to agree. Vladimir was handsome, but he didn't know when to shut up. Kiara thought back to the story of Caleb, Isadora and Vladimir.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**The Breach**.

Isadora had been turned by Caleb, not because he desired her as a companion throughout the ages, but because once discovering that he was a vampire she threatened to tell her village about him and to lead the villagers to where Caleb and some of his sect slept. Caleb, always the softie, couldn't bring himself to kill a creature as beautiful as Isadora, so he turned her. Centuries of beautiful women had not prepared him for the night that he first saw and feasted on her. The chestnut hair, the almond shaped eyes of brown with gold flecks, the full lips and the curves of her sensual body could not be ignored. Her body moved gracefully through the ether as if she were an angel sent to rob him of his senses.

But, as beautiful as she was, she was also quite daft and did not understand why she should be denied Vladimir as her companion. And make no mistake, Isadora knew she would be denied if she asked Caleb for permission to turn Vladimir. In all the decades as a vampire, Isadora had never been granted permission to turn a human because she had such horrible judgment when it came to choosing human companions. But, Vladimir was desperate to be made immortal and had been hounding Isadora for months to turn him and so she did.

It had not only been a crime for Isadora to turn Vladimir, but to make things worse, she had done it in while a guest in my father's territory, technically making Vladimir Daddy's protoge and responsibility for training. Isadora refused to acknowledge my father's authority over the two of them and, after Vladimir had gone on an uncontrolled feeding frenzy, bringing the police to my father's doorsteps, Isadora removed herself and Vladimir from Princeton. What made it even more egregious was that Vladimir had not gone through the blood allegiance ceremony of a new vampire, which would have bound him to my father. Every vampire is required to pledge their allegiance to the vampire of the territory in which they were turned. This allegiance is so the King can monitor the education of the new vampire in the study of vampire law and etiquette, lessons which Isadora failed to give Vladimir.

There were protests lodged with Caleb who should have immediately punished the pair by killing Isadora and forcing the return of Vladimir to Princeton; but Caleb couldn't bring himself to kill Isadora. The pair stayed in London for months, not with Caleb's blessing, but by his inaction he was deemed to have sanctioned it. My father was livid, demanding the return at least of Vladimir. But, Isadora knew that my father would kill Vladimir and serve him up to the local police in a way to take the suspicion off of him and his sect, so they refused to return to Princeton.

This caused a crack, no, a huge chasm in their friendship. My father was both hurt and angry that his friend, Caleb, would not enforce the laws of the kingdom. He wondered how Caleb could disrespect him this way. There were words between them about the pair of vampires and also about other issues, but there was no resolution. I was never sure why Caleb had chosen the path that he did. It was an unwise path, giving the Vampire kingdom the feeling that Caleb had gone soft, so soft he let a pretty woman dictate his actions and slight a friend. I suspected that it had something to do with me. It was probably hard for Caleb to be around my father considering I sometimes lived with Daddy. Subconsciously, it was easier to push both of us away through this action than try to hang on to his friendship with my father and risk being around me.

Not long afterwards, a strange thing happened-- Isadora's coffin had been opened to the sun. Although no one took credit for it, it was generally believed that my father had something to do with it. No one ever investigated, it was ruled a Guardian action and the mystery was buried along with Isadora's coffin and her ashes.

Isadora was gone, but Vladimir was another story. He spent decades stirring up trouble and discontent among the British sect of vampires. Caleb had obviously grown weary of his antics and booted him out. Caleb was a very patient vampire, so the level of havoc Vladimir must have reeked would have been quite substantial for Caleb to kick him out of Britain.

Nonetheless, my father and Caleb had not socialized for almost forty years which meant I was about to serve as the Jimmy Carter of warring vampire factions, a position I did not desire.

I arrived in Naples and was scheduled to spend the next twenty-four hours scrambling to accommodate all the people in my life, starting with Sophia Ferrara, the Queen of the Southern Italian sect of vampires. It was bad form for a vampire of my stature not to seek the Queen's tacit approval to stay in her province within the first few days of my arrival.

The green of the Piscine mountains was in a stark contrast to the brown coast of Naples which disappeared in my rear view mirror as I started the climb to Bagnoli Irpino. Half way to the village, I took a left down a side road that could accommodate one and a half cars. The side road's hairpin turns up the slope led straight to Sophia's villa. On the way I literally ran into a herd of cattle making their way down the hill. Luckily, I managed to avoid hitting them by veering off to the left. The sound of their cow bells as they lumbered down the edge of the road past my car made me smile, the first smile I'd had since finding out that Greg had actually managed to change his ticket and was arriving tomorrow.

I knew that at some point, Sophia would be making an obligatory appearance at our villa for dinner or drinks. My father, when he came, would be obliged to host an evening in her honor and she would be obliged to come since two of the most powerful vampires in the world, my father and Caleb, would be at her doorstep. Sophia always enjoyed the company of my father and Caleb and so the obligatory dinner wasn't as dreary as when other Kings would show up on her door.

However, this dinner meant that the Queen of the Southern Italy Vampire Sect would be meeting the phenomenon known as Greg House. The Greg House who smelled like a Porterhouse Steak to a hungry vampire. My stomach churned.

Sophia's villa was large, secluded and perched on the eastern mountain above the lake. The gardens stretched several acres to the edge of a short cliff and then a private beach spanned from the cliff to the lake where a boat house and dock came into view. A five foot stone wall surrounded the inner garden, swimming pool, veranda and villa. The outer wall surrounded an olive grove to the north. There were spectacular views down to the lake and over to the green mountain across the lake upon which sat numerous villas owned by vampires, including my father's. One side of Sophia's veranda was shaded by a portico that dripped with succulent flowers. Sadly, Sophia never saw the view during daylight which really was a pity, it was so beautiful. The lake was a gorgeous blue and the sun danced on it like golden diamonds. I could see the reflection of the mountain in the water and it took my breath away.

The Italian staff made me comfortable with coffee and cannolis until the sun went down over the lake. Then there was a flurry of activity and Sophia ascended the stairs from the cellar with a welcoming smile. Just from her looks you could tell that Sophia wasn't born to wash dishes. She didn't enter a room, she conquered it. Her eyes were a rich coffee brown which could either melt your heart or terrorize the hell out of you, there was no in between. Tall, thin, refined, she had been a Countess in the Seventeenth Century married to, according to her, a turtle of a husband. Turned when she was forty-two by her second cousin with whom she was having an affair (not knowing he was a vampire,) she had to watch her two children grow old and die while she observed their lives from afar. She then watched her grandchildren grow old and die and their children too. For generation after generation she watched as her family grew up, lived their lives and died. It couldn't have been easy, but you'd never know from looking at her. She bore her pain with an air of nonchalance. But I knew Sophia, we had spent many a night on the veranda talking about our lives, immortality, mortality and men. I knew that she considered immortality a penance for the sins of her youth. The shackles of seeing everyone you love die was a crushing burden that she carried under that air of royalty like a hairshirt of pennance.

"You're older." She said without any malice. Sofia bent over and kissed my cheeks before taking the overstuffed Rococo chair upholstered in a green brocade that highlighted the brown of her eyes and the chestnut in her hair.

I laughed; I knew she meant it as a compliment. Sophia envied me because I knew I would die, yet my life would span several centuries, giving me the best of both worlds. "Just rub it in."

"It suits you. You look like you've hit thirty-fiveish." She said in English with a very Italian accent.

I nodded in agreement.

"But really, you look beautiful, the best I've seen you since you broke up with Caleb forty years ago."

"He's coming over in a few days."

"Caleb? But your father sent word that he's coming too!"

I sighed in frustration. "I know. What do I do?"

"Let the two bastards work it out on their own. They should have done it years ago. But, I'm shocked; I didn't think you and Caleb were an item anymore?"

"We aren't."

She gave me a look of disbelief. "I don't believe that. I never saw two vampires more in love with each other."

"No, really, it's over. In fact, I've come to tell you that we'll also have a human guest joining us, Dr. Gregory House."

She smiled coyly, "Oh? A pet?"

Shaking my head and hand, I shrieked, "Oh, God, no! He's a well respected colleague from work. Besides, he'd never willfully let someone feed off of him ...unless maybe if he cared for them, but he doesn't believe in vampires."

She roared with laughter as she tucked her feet up on the seat. The sun was down, but it wasn't quite dark. We watched the last rays of the sunset dip behind the mountain. "So, you're in love with a human?"

"_What? Why would you say that?" _I suddenly felt defensive.

"You have that look. Like you are nervous and excited and scared. I can only imagine that you are nervous that he's going to meet Caleb and your father. Why would you be nervous unless you were in love with him?"

I slouched in my chair in defeat. "He's already met both and it was awkward to say the least." My head shook involuntarily. "Okay, I admit that I _like_ him, but he's made it clear that he finds me odd—thinks I'm part of some cult that acts like vampires for fun. Whatever might have been between us...well, it fizzled."

"And yet—" she leaned forward and grinned, "He is arriving tomorrow?"

She was right, if it was over between us, then why was he coming here? "Dr. House loves to play cat and mouse. He has no real intention of being with me, he has a girlfriend. I'm just a toy to be batted around until he gets bored. I think he's only coming because I had to save his life by giving him my blood."

She raised an eyebrow and then took a drink. "A blood bond? Well, he sounds horrible. Why are you so smitten by him, Princess?" She said it with the most motherly of voices. There were times growing up that I sought Sophia's advice. She had the wisdom of several centuries and had been a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother and so on. There wasn't anything under the sun that she hadn't seen.

"Most humans bore me. He doesn't. It's been a long time since I've found a man interesting." I responded.

"And even longer since you found one that's not interested in you, do you think that might be part of the attraction?"

I shrugged, "Perhaps."

We both laughed. Sophia's maid brought over a young, healthy man who fell to his knees and bared his neck while staring at me. Sophia's retractiles dropped as the man's eyes closed in anticipation. The sound of the retractiles breaking his skin and muscle was unpleasant, but the smell of his blood was enticing. He must have been an A or a B because I could smell his blood above all the other human servants. I realized that I was hungry.

Sophia drank a good pint out of the young man and then looked up at me. "Princess, are you hungry?"

"It's okay. I'll feed later."

"I can see you're hungry. I haven't taken that much. Gaetano, let Princess have a little taste. She's not like us; she only requires a little at a time to keep the hunger away."

The handsome man, brown curls falling to his broad shoulders, came to my side of the table and kneeled in front of me. The smell of his blood triggered my retractiles which dropped quickly at the mere thought of a bite. He smiled seductively at me. I unwittingly smiled back. I have to admit that I never understood why some humans gave their blood up so willingly. Perhaps they found it glamorous, maybe they just liked the money we paid them or the fact that they were given a life of luxury sitting around the pool during the day, sleeping late, doing what they wanted just as long as they were there once a week at night for Sophia and her guests to feed.

It was easy to find men in the mountains behind Naples that would work for vampires. For some reason, the people in the area had, over the centuries, learned to tolerate vampires. They had come to an unspoken agreement long ago that the vampires and humans would coexist in this little corner of the world. The vampires provided jobs while the humans provided a safe haven and food. It was a symbiotic relationship that had resulted in harmony between the two worlds. A harmony had been established because of Sophia's generosity during the good times and bad times. She had made sure that the village remained safe during the wars. She made sure the village ate during the droughts. Sophia wasn't just a queen to the vampires, but to the humans as well.

I finished feeding. My retractiles retracted and I sat back satiated. I turned to the young man and told him in Italian, "You have hepatitis A. You need to see a doctor."

Sophia laughed. "My God, Princess, how did you know that?"

I smiled. "I'm a Hematologist; it's my job."

"Well, let's go down to the lake for a little night swim and you can tell me more about this Gregory House."

**Dear Readers,**

**Sorry about not posting yesterday. I forgot! It was only when I received notice of a review that I remembered to post today! Sorry!**

**Thanks for reading! Kim**


	13. Chapter 13 Part I

**Chapter 13 Part I**

**Bagnoli Irpino**

She was lying on the bed with a thin white sheet draped softly over her hips and legs as she slept. He watched as her breasts rose and fell under the satin nightgown, her nipples clearly defined by the light blue material. He reached over and put his fingers gently on her breasts and traced the curve of her flesh. She didn't wake. Pulling his hand back, he thought about shaking her, but she was so deep asleep he decided to wait until later in the afternoon.

House had reached Larkin's Villa at noon and had immediately been shown to his room down the hall from Kiara. Already bored and curious, he wandered the hall and discovered Kiara sleeping in her room. Unable to just turn and leave, he sat on the edge of the bed to watch her. There was a desire in him that he didn't understand. It went beyond lust or curiosity; it was more of an obsession, one that wasn't logical. Sure, he thought a lot about their night of sex, more than he should. It was a like video on a loop, playing over and over when he least expected it. On more than one occasion he was stuck with an embarrassing woody under the table at work or some restaurant. But, this need to see her despite his belief that she and her friends were cuckoo was bewildering.

The last few months had not been easy. Lana was a Godsend, helping him to think about something other than Kiara, but the bliss hadn't lasted long. He'd called Lana 'Kiara' several times, including once during sex, resulting in excuses and numerous screaming matches. Whenever he smothered himself in Lana's pendulous tanned breasts, his mind would play tricks and he'd imagine the smaller, rounder, porcelain white breasts of Kiara. It drove him crazy and made life around Lana a ticking time bomb.

Kiara moved just slightly. Her leg extended down, causing her body to open up a little. His groin stirred as the sheet pulled down, revealing a glimpse of her upper thigh. If he stayed in the room with her, he knew he'd probably end up doing something stupid or illegal. After gliding his hand down the satin gown clinging to the round cheek of her ass, he stood up, adjusted his trousers and went out into the travertine hall with the marble alcoves.

The sandstone villa had four large bedrooms, all upstairs. Snooping, he investigated the downstairs' rooms that were unlocked. According to the few staff that he had seen, several of the rooms had been ordered locked the night before and he had been specifically forbidden to enter them. When he tried to sneak into one, he was politely, but firmly denied access by a well-muscled man with deep olive skin and thick eyebrows named Nicco. House, frustrated, ended up on the shaded veranda with a Bellini and Panini, taking in the scenery. The sparkling lake sat in a valley under two mountain peaks. The view of the lake and the large villa across the lake was spectacular. Behind the Larkin villa was the peak of the mountain quietly overlooking the village, various villas and the lake.

It was a clear, hot day and the lake was inviting. Back in Princeton, House had started swimming again now that his leg had improved so dramatically. No one had been able to explain it. The change had begun just after New Year's Eve. All the doctors, including Wilson, had marveled at the x-rays, shocked and mystified at the fact that a portion of his muscle had actually grown back. Even the scar was better although it was still clearly there.

House walked back up to the bedroom to change into his swimsuit. The clock on his bedroom night stand said that it was four o'clock in the afternoon. He stripped down and put on his board shorts, grabbed a beach towel from the ensuite bathroom linen closet and then stepped out into the hall where he stopped short. Standing in the hallway was a sleepy Kiara, the satin gown hanging low on her breasts and high on her thigh. She stretched and yawned before giving him a half-conscious smile.

"It's still day, isn't it?" She asked. Her nipples were like little bullets poking through the satin.

"Four in the afternoon." He responded, his eyes focused a foot below her eyes.

Nodding and yawning again, she turned and went back into her bedroom. House followed and watched Kiara crawling back into bed, her round enticing ass facing him as she did. It was too much. House placed his hands on the sides of her hips and pulled her back towards him. Kiara let out a little shriek.

"_Greg?"_

Still standing by the bed, he didn't say anything as he reached around her waist and up to her breasts, slipping his hand into her gown and grabbing the round flesh in his hand. With her knees still on the mattress he pulled her up so that her back was flat against his chest. The feel of his tongue in her ear made her lightheaded. Still half asleep, she wasn't sure if this was a dream or really happening until he pinched her nipple, sending a slight twinge of pain through her body.

"Oww."

"Sorry. Turn around." He ordered without apology.

She turned and looked into his eyes. The full brunt of his desire was clear in those blue orbs. Fully awake now, Kiara pushed into his chest, reached around his neck and pulled his head to hers, their lips meeting, groping, pulling on each other's.

House slipped his hands down her back to her ass, letting them rest on her roundness, pushing his erection into her abdomen as they kissed. Kiara pulled back slightly, only to have House grab her hair, push her to his lips and kiss her again. The smell of her musk and the warmth of his chest against the cool of her satin gown was sending him to a place of primordial lust he didn't think existed in this sanitized world.

He whispered into her ear, "I've got to have you. I don't understand it, it makes no sense. You're a loony. I don't know why I can't stay away from you. God knows I've tried everything."

The guilt rushed into her like a tidal wave.

_He's not attracted to me. He can't resist me because I'm so exciting or brilliant. No, he's chased me to England and Italy because we shared blood. The blood bond, something he'll never believe, but what I can't forget. He's not really attracted to me at all._

Kiara pushed him away, using too much of her extraordinary strength. He slammed up against the plaster wall with a thud.

Rubbing his head, he flashed her a look of confusion. "What the fu—"

She pulled the strap of her gown up and jumped off the bed to help him. "I'm sorry, sorry!"

"I don't get it. Most women would be happy if I told them I couldn't stay away from them." He said, anger rising in his voice.

"Oh Greg, you just don't get it. This is because of my being a vampire."

"Oh Christ, not that again. This is bullshit."

"Yeah, well tell me something. Have you felt well the past few months? I noticed that you were walking without a cane; has your leg been getting better since New Year's Eve with me?"

He turned white and struggled to get up and away from her. "Yeah, but I've been exercising and taking growth hormone."

Kiara laughed. "Right, that's what did it. Fine, believe what you have to believe. But, give this a thought, if you think I'm a silly loon that belongs to a cult, why are you so attracted to me?"

"Great body. Great sex. Brains."

She shook her head. "That wouldn't make you so crazy that you had to be near me. You came because of the bond between vampire and mortal."

He winced and put his hands to his head. "You're right. I don't know why I even came. You're so far out there you're on your own planet." Storming out of the room, House grabbed the beach towel off the banister and started down the stairs.

_Overwhelming desire to be near her? Ha! She watches too much Twilight. Christ, if I was smart I'd pack my bag and get the hell out of here. Still, my leg did start feeling better after New Year's Eve. Nah, the power of suggestion, that's what we have here. To hell with her; I'm not going to let her lunacy prevent me from having a nice vacation in Italy. There were some hot women in the town when I drove through...who needs a nutter like her?_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I looked out the window and saw him making his way to the lake with a towel. I flew back on my bed and screamed at the ceiling in frustration. _What was I thinking? I could have had sex—hot sweaty sex._

Despite the aching in my groin, I just couldn't go through with it knowing that he wasn't really attracted to me. It hurt too much because I was attracted to him--a lot. This vacation was going to be a real challenge, being around a man who 'thought' he was attracted to me and yet not give into my own desire to be with him. For once I was glad that my father and Caleb were going to offer a diversion. Maybe I could have hot, sweaty sex with Caleb. I still had feelings for him, maybe not the ones I had decades ago, but still, I could see us having sex, hot sweaty sex.

I was depressed and I was tired. I had stayed up the entire night with Sophia and then journied home to our Villa at dawn, opened up the house, arranged for someone to pick up Greg and chose the menus for the next few days before getting to bed at eleven am. I didn't need to arrange a mortal donor since the little snack the night before would hold me over for awhile. It also meant that Greg's blood wouldn't be such an aphrodisiac. I told the staff to prepare the house because Caleb would be arriving Friday, two days from now and my father would be here the next day.

I tried to pull the sheet over my head and sleep but couldn't, so I showered and dressed before going downstairs to check on dinner. As I was standing talking to Teresa about which wine to serve, Greg came through the door, wet, handsome, good enough to eat. My whole body shivered as he continued drying off.

"When's dinner?"

"Eight."

His whole face pinched tightly. "_Eight?"_

"Eight!"

"I'm hungry now."

"It's only six. This is Italy, we usually don't eat until eight or nine. Teresa will make you a tray of cheese and vegetables."

"Single Malt? Any of the good stuff around here?"

I chuckled and went into the library, opening the door with a key. Greg followed close behind, whistling as he came into the two story library. The shelves were completely filled with leather bound volumes that my father had collected from all over the world. With the enthusiasm of a child, he practically ran to the shelves by the window.

"Jesus, Joseph and Mary. This is a first edition of Little Dorritt...and this is a first edition of Priestley's _Corruptions of Christianity_. Where did he get all of these first editions?"

"Here." I handed him the glass with a little ice. "Oban, okay?"

"Yeah. This is some library; it must be worth a literal fortune."

"My Dad is a rabid collector."

"I can't wait to meet him."

"You met him! At the manor in Princeton."

"That guy couldn't be your Dad; he's in his late twenties, early thirties."

"Fine, don't believe me, but he's my father." I was pissed so I stormed off, just wanting to be anywhere but near him.

He followed me. "So, what do you want to do? We could play post office…spin the bottle—"

"Just go out on the veranda and wait for your tray."

"Ah…is your itsy bitsy feelings hurt? Did I dis your Daddy?"

"Greg, I can't talk to you. You don't believe me."

He shrugged. "Why don't we call a truce and you join me for some snacks?"

I thought about it. Before Daddy and Caleb arrived I needed to find a way to tame Greg House or he might not survive. We went out to the veranda and sat by the lake at first, but the mosquitoes were eating Greg alive.

"Damn little vampires. Are you related to these bugs?"

"_Greeeegggg…"_

He held a hand up playfully. "Okay, okay. I promise not to tease you about your relatives. But, can we move away from the lake? The bugs bite at dusk."

I picked up the tray and we carried it closer to the house, up under the portico. As we walked, he leaned down and whispered into my ear, "You look very pretty tonight. I like that skirt on you."

I was wearing a peasant skirt and blouse that came off my shoulders revealing my neck and a little cleavage. "Thank you. But, you're not looking at my skirt."

"Can I help it? You have two of the most delicious mammaries on earth. Those two pert mounds with the pretty pink nipples staring up are the prettiest I've seen in years. Even the blue veins running just under that translucent skin of yours and down to your areolas makes me hot just thinking about it."

My mouth dropped open. "My God, you just can't keep your mind off of sex can you?"

"You don't know the half of it. The things I want to do to you—" A lewd smile crossed his mouth. "Damn girl, let's just go up to your room."

"No."

Greg pushed me back onto the chaise lounge and straddled me. I tried to sit up but he pushed me back down. Taking an ice cube out of his whiskey, Greg mischievously plopped it in his mouth, then pushed it forward so that it stuck just out of his mouth. He dragged his lips and the ice from my neck down to my cleavage while he grabbed my left breast, touching and tickling my nipple with the tip of his finger. I shuddered.

"This isn't a good idea." But I only half meant it. My groin was on fire and my whole body was in overdrive. He ignored my protest, pulling my peasant blouse down to just below my naked breast and ran the ice cube around the edge of my nipple and back to the center of my chest. The cold against my areola felt more like a fire through my body than ice. Raising up, he offered the ice to me. I took it in my mouth as he placed his cold lips and tongue over my nipple. Cold, wet, sucking, the burn of his beard rubbing against my right breast-- I thought I was going to have an orgasm right there. He must have sensed it because his hand found its way up my skirt and between my legs.

Months of celibacy made me sensitive to his fingering. The smell of him so close, the touch, the use of the ice; it caused a total meltdown. "Ahhhhhhh. Ohhhhhhh. Oh God, oh God." The friction of his fingers against my clit caused a rush of blood to my groin. The pressure of the orgasm was building so fast, I was out of control. I couldn't have stopped if I had wanted to, but I didn't want to. The sucking grew harder, the rubbing faster. My body pushed up into his mouth and into his hand. Just when I was about to tip, he pushed into me with his thick erection.

I went over the edge as he thrust over and over as deep as he could go. I cried out. "Dio mio, non ti fermare, non si fermano!" And then it came, the release of electricity throughout my body, the rollercoaster of my womb contracting over and over. I rode the waves for as long as I could.

Greg was banging up into me hard and fast, the chaise jumping with each thrust. He grunted like a mad-man, stopping in mid-thrust then his body convulsed several more times as he ejaculated. His face was clenched tight, mouth open. A moan escaped from deep inside of him and then he collapsed over to the side.

I couldn't catch my breath at first; the tingly residual of the climax was still pulsing through my body. I turned to look at him and he grinned.  
.

"Maybe in the future we should just keep our mouths shut and screw. We seem to be good at that."

The thrill was gone and the sadness was seeping in-- the sadness from knowing this wasn't real; this was a just a chemical reaction to our night of blood sharing.

He could feel the moment turning sour. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…don't go wherever you're going. Just enjoy this, don't screw it up."

I tried on a smile and then sat up, lifting my blouse and panties up and pulling my skirt down.

"I'm hungry again." He said, pulling his swimsuit back up.

"We should be eating soon."

He grabbed me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder so that my head rested on his chest. The warmth of his body enveloped me, making me all squiggly inside. We lay on the chaise in a quiet post-coital stupor. The feel of his chest hair against the side of my face tickled, but I didn't move. I put my hand on the flat of his abdomen and closed my eyes. We both fell asleep until Roberto announced that dinner was ready.

I told Roberto, "Have Teresa serve it out here on the terrace, it's a lovely evening."

We sat down for alight dinner of Caprese Salad, Bruchetta and Linguini Alle Vongole Veraci which consists of a thin pasta, baby clams, olive oil, garlic and parsley, in a white wine sauce. Greg said nothing for several minutes, instead he concentrated on the taste and consistency of the food.

"Teresa is a great cook."

"Yes, I taught her." I thought back to when Teresa, now in her early fifties was a child and she would help me in this very kitchen when Caleb and I would take a vacation down to Bagnoli Irpino. "Her mother was a cruel woman and I think the little girl with the big brown eyes found refuge in our time in the kitchen."

"_You_ taught her?"

"I'm a fabulous cook, Greg." I said, slightly hurt that he would think I couldn't teach a little girl how to cook. "I've had plenty of years experience."

He laughed. "Then why don't you cook for me?"

"Cook for you?"

"Yeah, enough of that Denny's crap...I want you to cook me an Italian dinner when we get home."

"Yeah, you and Lana."

He snickered. "Lana doesn't like Italian." His mouth quivered trying to hold back the laughter.

"I can always make her a can of Campbell's soup." I chided.

He roared, "She doesn't like soup!"

"Damn, she's hard to please." I winked and joined the laughter.

Greg nodded. "Tell me about it. I can't even do it doggie style. She finds that too degrading."

"Ewww, Too much information!"

"I bet you like it doggie style." He said with a sexy growl and a nod up the stairs towards my bedroom.

"Dream on broom-stick cowboy."

Wiggling his eyebrows, he motioned again towards the upstairs, "Come on, let's make you bark."

"Ruff. There, now can we just sit here and let our food digest?"

Standing up, he took his napkin and wiped his mouth, then grabbed my hand, pulling me to his side.

"Come on, let's go up and lie down. I've still got jet lag."

I let him take me by the hand up the stairs and into my bedroom. We both stripped down naked and crawled between the sheets where we held each other. In a matter of minutes he was asleep, our legs intertwined, my breasts resting against the hair on his chest. My eyes closed soon after and when I woke he was still asleep, his light brown eyelashes grazing his cheeks, his beard slightly fuller. It was midnight and I felt refreshed. Pulling the sheet up, I gazed underneath at the point where our bodies met, enjoying the view of his sinewy body and dark brown pubic hair. It took me a few minutes to extricate myself without waking him. I slipped on a robe and went downstairs to the veranda and had the staff bring me a Bellini. My eyesight at night is much better than a human's, but not as good as a 'real' vampire. I could see sailboats out on the lake, probably all manned by vampires. It was a windy evening and everyone seemed to be out on the lake.

I wanted dearly to wake him and take him with me out on the lake, but like all the humans in my life, their circadian clocks were different than mine. I was half way in between the two worlds. I preferred to be awake between three in the afternoon to five in the morning, but I needed to work graveyard for several reasons. First, it kept me off the radar of the rumor mill and watchful eyes of my co-workers. Second, it kept me on the same schedule as my friends and family and third, it let me be awake if my father needed me.

I dismissed the servants, allowing them to go to bed and then treated myself to a skinny dip in the swimming pool. I had just taken a dive when I sensed a form above me, on the side of the pool. I surfaced and looked up to find Greg smiling at me.

"I woke up and you were gone."

"Couldn't sleep."

"You look like a nymph in there."

"You're the nymphomaniac."

"Damn, you pegged me. Want company?"

"Sure."

Still in his board shorts, he dove into the water near me, surfacing with his hands slipping up my thighs, hips and breasts. He reached around and pulled my mouth to his. I'm not a big fan of a lot of tongue, but Greg kept the right balance, a little at a time and quite tasty. He'd brushed his teeth before coming down-- I had that minty fresh taste in my mouth.

"Why didn't you wake me?" He asked, still kissing my neck, rubbing my breasts.

"You looked so peaceful. I knew you needed the sleep."

"When do the other guests arrive?"

"Caleb arrives the day after tomorrow and Daddy, the next day."

He snickered, "Daddy? You still call your father, Daddy?"

"Yep. He loves it."

He became sidetracked by my breasts, playing with them under the water as I treaded. I splashed him and he splashed back. The playing began and after several minutes of squealing and laughter, we exited the pool and went back to our chaise, lying down under the mountain stars.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"There's a lot of boats on the lake. Maybe tomorrow night we can join the fun." I said.

He looked up and over at the lake about one hundred yards from where we sat. "I can see a couple of sails, but that's it."

"Most of them are across the lake near Sophia's, the big villa over there." I pointed to the lights coming from across the lake.

"You can see that? All I can see are pinpoints of lights."

I shrugged, "Great eyesight."

"Super-human eyesight? The result of your vampire genes I suppose."

I didn't bother to answer his sarcastic tone. "I'm hungry."

"Oh, well let me help you." He exposed his neck in an exaggerated movement meant to mock me.

"I was thinking chocolate. But, I'll keep that option open for later if you don't mind."

House snorted and rolled his eyes.

I went to the kitchen and retrieved some chocolate fudge and then invited Greg to join me in bed. Too tired to make love again, we once again fell asleep in each other's arms.


	14. Chapter 13 Part II

"Come on Fangs, it's four pm, by the time we get to the village it will be four-thirty and the heat should start to cool down; you'll be okay." Greg was bored and wanted to go into the village to gawk at the tourists. He was convinced that, in light of all the traffic on the lake the night before, the town must be teeming with visitors.

I knew better. The village would be mostly deserted until the sun went down and my brethren came out to play. Even most of the villagers tried to sleep during the day to be up at night for their customers and clients. But, the vampires would start to come out in a few hours, so I agreed to take him into town.

"Do you want to walk?" I asked.

"Not in this heat. Do you have a car in that garage?"

"This way." I waved my hand, motioning for him to follow down the cobble stone drive to the garage. Inside, I flicked on the light and watched the expression on his face.

"Holy shit!"

He was oogling my father's Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a high performance V8 sports car in candy red. Next to it was a Porsche and next to that a Land Rover, but Greg wasn't interested in them.

"Wow, this is yours?"

"My Dad's." I knew that one word from my lips and my father would hand over the keys and pink slip to me. But I've always been independent and wouldn't think of asking him for a car, except to borrow it. "I'll drive us there and, if you're sober, you can drive us home."

"Sober? Damn, I have to stay sober?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'm not going to let you drive this car drunk."

"Then let me drive down to the village and you drive back. I really feel like a bottle of wine."

Shrugging, I threw him the keys and within a few minutes, we drove the ten mountain miles to the large village of Bagnoli Irpino which sat suspended like sandstone monuments on the side of the mountain. I told Greg to park in a spot near the grass covered village square located in the middle of the town. Looking around, he could see it was deserted.

"Where is everyone?"

"They'll be here later, around eight. They're all asleep."

"Why?" He asked. He genuinely didn't get what I was saying.

"They sleep during the day and play at night."

It dawned on him. "Oh crap, this isn't one of your cult compounds is it?"

"Let's just buy us a bottle of wine and go sit on the grass until the restaurants open. I know a store that's open during the day. Truce?"

He put an arm around me and gave me a little hug in agreement. "Lay on MacDuff."

We sat on a picnic blanket on the grass in the square and shared the bottle of wine and some crackers with cheese. I think we covered all the major medical subjects we could cover. I don't think either of us tired of regaling the other with a journal article we had read or a case we had handled. Around six, mortals started to walk about the town getting their shops, restaurants and services ready for the night.

We packed up the blanket when one of the restaurants turned their little white sign to Aperto to indicate that they were opened. I was walking just in front of Greg as we crossed the street looking at the restaurant we were headed towards. An average sized man in front of me stopped abruptly and turned to face me. I felt Greg's hand on my upper arm try to pull me violently away from the man.

"It's him!" Greg yelled.

Just as he screamed, a wooden stake slashed across my arm, stabbing between my arm and side. Greg threw himself between me and the man. It was happening so fast that I wasn't aware that my retractiles had dropped down in reaction to the attack. My lips pulled back, barring the sharpened retractiles at the man who turned white when he realized that I was about ready to end his life.

Greg looked over his shoulder and fell backwards in horror, landing on the pavement as I lunged faster than his eye could perceive at the man who was now trying to stab me with a second sharpened stake. "Die Vampire, die! You're an abomination among aboninations...you must be stopped!"

They were his last words. My fangs sank deep into his neck as he waved the stake around, trying pathetically to drive it through me. His body wavered and floundered like a rag doll in my hands. He eventually dropped the stake to the ground as his life oozed through his blood into me. As soon as I felt his life force leave his body I dropped him to the ground.

Greg was absolutely bewildered. I could feel the horror in him rise to panic as he watched me take the Guardian's life. I turned to look at him, his body curled up, arm above his head as if to protect himself from me. His face was screwed up in horror

Inspector Marino rushed forward along with another strong man in uniform who bent down and scooped up the Guardian's body, whisking it away into the early evening. There was no marking of the body, photographs, CSI crews, just a quick cleanup.

The inspector nodded to me. "Princess Larkin, are you hurt?"

There was a gash in my arm, but it was already healing. "I'm fine. Who was that?" I was surprised when the answer came from Greg and not the inspector.

"It's Dieter Kramer's assistant, Herman Hirsch."

I turned in shock. "You know this man? Did you set this up?"

"Hey! I tried to save your damn life. What the fuck was all that? The fangs, the super-human speed?"

I turned back to Inspector Marino, ignoring Greg, "Inspector, do you need me to give a statement?"

"No, I saw it all. You were acting in self-defense. We'll take care of it. Please enjoy your stay in Bagnoli Irpino, Princess."

I nodded, knowing full well that there would no paper work, no autopsy, no burial. This Herman whatever would be cremated within the hour and all evidence of Herman's visit to Bagnoli Irpino would be gone with him. The inspector walked off into the warm evening as if it was all in a day's (or night's) work.

"_That's it? You just killed that man and the police just walk away? No papers to sign or statement to give?" _His voice was elevated and he was clearly agitated. We were being watched by everyone in the square.

I was angry with him. Someone had just tried to kill me and all he could think of was the logistics of dealing with the assailant's body. "_I was almost murdered if you remember. I killed that man in self-defense_."

He wasn't listening. He was fervently looking around on the ground. _"_Where's his blood?_ Did you drink his blood?"_

"Yes, damn it! I keep telling you that I'm part vampire and you keep denying it. Do you believe me now?"

He said nothing, but continued to stare us at me as if he could find the answer somewhere on my face. I figured the fact that he didn't come back with a joke or say, 'no', was a good sign. He finally stood up, dusting himself off.

We stared at each other for a good minute before I finally begged, "I need to sit down...I'm shaking." I held my hand out in front of me and watched as it vibrated from my nerves being fried.

"Excuse me if I don't kiss your royal ss, but while you're merely shaking, that guy is dead."

I sat at a table outside under the canopy. "Greg! He tried to kill me. Please tell me you aren't feeling sorry for him?"

He melted a little. "I know he tried to kill you and, no, I don't feel sorry for him buying the farm, but to be sucked dry of all his blood? That has to hurt."

"I'm not going to apologize and no, it doesn't really hurt. We inject a narcotic that numbs the blow."

He thought for a second then nodded, "Fair enough."

And then there was silence.

As the twilight sky grew darker, the crowd in the village grew larger. The vampires were buzzing with the gossip that a Guardian had been killed by the princess. Greg found their table surrounded by a large crowd of translucent white people in the middle of a crowd, all trying to ask Kiara what had happened. Kiara tried to answer some of them, sometimes looking over at House to see his reaction, but she couldn't read him.

He refused to let her see just how confused and frightened he was. Either this was the strangest cult he had ever come across or his world had just tilted on its access. He was starting to doubt everything he had known to be true and logical. If vampires existed and Kiara was one of them, then what exactly did that mean? Was she going to turn him into one?

The restaurant went quiet and the bodies began to part, making a path that led to a dark sedan that had parked in a no parking zone at the curb. House looked around wondering what was happening when Kiara stood up out of respect to the woman who was now coming towards them.

Regal was the only word to describe the woman walking towards them. Her back was straight, her head high and her countenance superior. Not only did she look regal, she was spectacular to look at. House was about to say something funny when Kiara stomped solidly on his foot. He yelped.

Out of the corner of her mouth Kiara growled, "For God's sake, for once in your life, keep that fucking mouth shut. Your life may depend on it." Stepping forward, Kiara's arms extended, the woman walked into them, her own extended too. They hugged.

"Princess, I came as soon as I heard. Is it true that there was a Guardian in Bagnoli Irpino?"

Kiara nodded. Her knees started to give way as it finally hit her that she had been targeted by the Guardians. Although this one had not succeeded, there were probably others to take his place. Tears started to pour from her eyes as she grabbed Sophia and held her. Sophia wrapped her arms around Kiara, petting her hair to soothe her.

House watched. "Excuse me, I hate to break this up, but since it doesn't look like you two are going to have sex I'd like to know what's going on?"

Sophia chuckled and whispered to Kiara, "I take it this is your mortal--the one that's a handful. He's cute and he smells delicious."


	15. Chapter 14 Part I

**Chapter 14 Part I**

**Introductions**

I pulled back from Sophia's embrace, realizing that she was talking about Greg. I felt immediately protective and angry at the same time. I was angry because Greg just couldn't keep his mouth closed and now he was in her sites. Sophia's interest in him, both good and bad, was piqued.

I love Sophia, but she thinks of mortals as playthings, even worst, she thinks of mortals with AB blood as dinner. I turned to Greg and now that I was calmer, I could feel that, despite his bravado and flippant remarks, he was frightened. And he had good reason to be. His eyes clearly acknowleded that he was now a believer; he just hadn't let it register fully. There was a struggle going on inside of him as he tried to come to terms with the fact that there existed on this earth creatures who had died and risen and now consumed human blood to sustain themselves. It had to be hard for him to digest.

I had always known that the world included the undead; that the craving for blood could drive a vampire to ignore their own safety; that Guardians were just waiting for a vampire to make a mistake or become lax so that they could kill them. This was my world, it always had been. But for Greg, it must have seemed as if he had just been transported to a new planet and he didn't know the ground rules.

Sophia extended her hand to Greg. "Dr. House? I'm so pleased to finally meet you. Our Princess seems to think highly of you. I've informed everyone that your delectable blood is off limits unless you give permission."

House stared directly into the queen's eyes. "And you would be?"

I stepped forward quickly, "Greg, this is Queen Sophia Ferrara, the Queen of the Southern Italian sect. She is queen of everything south of Rome."

"Queen? I'm sorry, but I didn't think Italy had queens anymore, except the ones that listened to Barbara Streisand."

I whispered into his ears. "Queen of the vampires in Italy."

He didn't laugh. Instead he closed his eyes and gently shook his head as if he was having a hard time absorbing it all. The blue eyes opened and he turned to me. "Princess? She keeps calling you Princess."

"It's more of an honorary title. My father is King Larkin. He's King of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia as well as all of Ireland. Since I am his daughter, I'm sometimes called Princess, usually only here in Europe. The reality is that I'm going to die and my father isn't. I'll never be Queen."

"So you are mortal?"

"Yes. Most vampire kings do not have a bloodline; their children usually die as mortals. Rarely does a vampire turn their own child; they'd rather that their child have a normal, mortal life. But, since I am part vampire, born after my father was made a vampire, I'm an anomaly."

"You don't think being a vampire is an anomaly already?"

I smiled at him.

"May I sit?" Sophia asked.

I pulled a chair out for her, "Please, sit, Sophia."

The best wine was brought to our table and I could tell that the mortal owner of the restaurant was thrilled that the Queen had chosen his somewhat pedestrian restaurant to visit. No doubt there would be a sign the next day in the window proudly proclaiming that _Queen Sophia Ate Here._

"Dr. House, may I call you Greg?"

"Sure, Sophia."

She smiled at his impertinence. But, Sophia had been around mortals for centuries, had obviously been one herself, and they rarely flustered her. "Tell me about yourself. Kiara rarely shows interest in anyone."

He looked at me and his lip curled up. "I think I'd rather learn about you...and your friends here. It must be rough living in Italy with all that garlic at dinner."

I looked down, embarrassed by his attempt to be funny; to a vampire it would come across as rude and crude.

Sophia chuckled to put him at ease. "Well, I'm not sure where that wives' tale was started, but we don't have difficulty with garlic or crosses or holy water. I attend Mass every Saturday night."

"Your priest is okay with you killing people and drinking their blood?"

"I have only killed people when they try to kill me. Most vampires, not all, drink only what they need, which is about one to two units a night, depending on how often they feed. We can go for days without feeding, but when we do skip our nightly feed, we need more than one human can provide. So, occasionally, we will feed off of several mortals in one night."

"It must scare the hell out of them." He said more to himself than to us.

She shrugged and winked at me. "Yes, sometimes, but these days we have many mortal volunteers, humans willing to provide us with blood once a week for a tidy sum. Sometimes our human lovers allow us to feed off of them."

House looked over at me, his eyes wide, "Don't go thinking I'm going to be your personal I.V. I like keeping my blood to myself."

"You've already fed me once."

"_What? When?_ No wait; was it you that awarded my penis a blue ribbon?"

Sophia threw her head back and laughed.

I nodded.

"And you bit me?"

"Yes. I was hungry and you just happen to have the most delicious type of blood in the world, AB."

"So you see, Greg." Sophia leaned forward, her breathtaking cleavage showing, and put a hand on Greg's. "You're not only handsome, but you're delicious too."

The blood boiled inside of me. Sophia was clearly flirting with Greg, probably amused by his flippancy and charmed by his good looks.

Greg smiled as he stared directly into her eyes. "Sophia, tell me about vampires-- how do I kill one?"

Sophia's smile dropped and she pulled back. "Well, Greg, that's just rude."

I quickly kicked Greg under the table and changed the subject. We spent another hour with Sophia who, over the next hour once again became enamored with Greg's wit, intelligence and arrogance. Sophia was rarely treated as an equal, let alone patronized by anyone (which Greg was more than happy to do.)

When Sophia left for a party, I sighed with relief. The meeting between the two had gone better than I had thought. We started to drive back to the villa, me at the wheel, Greg had been drinking steadily all night long. I could feel his burning curiosity and knew that I'd be answering questions soon.

As we drove along, Greg turned in his seat and was staring at me. "Why did Sofia get upset when I asked how to kill a vampire?"

"You know why. Every mortal male dreams of killing monsters and demons. You insinuated that you wanted to kill her."

"It was just a question! I'm just curious, she's too beautiful to drive a stake through. But, how do you kill a vampire? In case I need to keep you from biting me."

I swallowed hard. "A vampire is only killed for sure when their head is severed from their bodies or they are exposed long enough to sunlight. They can be killed by a sliver of wood, no matter how small, through the heart. But, sometimes, depending on how old the vampire is, if you remove the wood, the vampire is revived. The same with silver, a silver bullet or knife can immobilize or even kill a vampire if it hits the right organ and there's enough silver. But only severing the head kills the vampire once and for all."

"So I have to cut your head off to make sure you don't hurt me?"

I drove as fast as I could to get home. I wanted to be somewhere where I felt safe.

"No, a silver bullet or piece of wood through my heart would kill me. I don't heal as fast as a full vampire; I would bleed to death before I could heal, unless of course, the silver or wood was removed fast enough. But, as I told you before, I'm aging and will eventually die of natural causes."

"So silver, wood and decapitation works. And that's it? You can't die from anything else?"

"Well, there is one other—"

"Watch out!" Greg yelled as my headlights locked onto the white cow in front of me. I swerved to avoid hitting it, going into a 360 degree spin. I saw trees swirling by us and heard a thump on the left bumper. I could see Greg hanging on, and the latch of his seat belt hanging in the air--he hadn't bothered to buckle up. I was afraid that he would go through the windshield or be thrown around inside the car. With all my might, I reached out like a mother and placed my arm like a safety bar across his waist. My strength in times of fear is the equivalent of a weight lifter, so Greg wasn't going anywhere.

When the car came to a stop we were in the middle of a field, but for the most part, both the car and the people in it were okay. I felt his fingers on my arm.

"Uh, you can remove the arm now, Mommy."

"You asshole! Next time you buckle up!"

Lifting his t-shirt I could see that I had bruised him. "Ouch! You're a mighty little thing, aren't you?"

"I work out."

He finally looked me in the eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just worried about the damn car and how we're going to get home."

He looked around, but I'm sure all his mortal eyes could see were the trees lit up by the headlights. I could see much more, the cow that I had hit with the back bumper was down, but alive and trying to get up. The road was about thirty yards away and there was a dark house about a quarter mile down the road.

"There's a house down there. I'm going to go see if someone can help us."

"Why not just call someone?"

"Have you tried to get reception up here? Non-existent. You stay here, I'll be faster by myself."

"No, with my new, improved, leg, I'll be faster."

"Trust me; I'll be much faster than you."

It finally hit him. "Oh...as in vampire fast?"

I nodded.

"Uh, if this is a vampire area, aren't I a sitting duck?"

"No vampire will touch you; you have Sophia's protection...and mine."

"I'd still feel safer if you were here, so hurry up, okay?"

I chuckled, "Alright Greggy, sit tight and Mommy will be right back." I leaned over and kissed him. When I tried to pull back, he grabbed my shoulder and kissed me again.

"I didn't see my life flash by, but when we were spinning and I thought you might get hurt, I did realize how much I've grown to—"He hesitated, shook his head and reached over to open the door for me. "Just go and get help."

I grinned. He was going to tell me how he had grown fond of me, maybe grown to love me. I kissed his cheek and whispered, "Greg, unless I was decapitated in the accident, I would have healed. You were the only one in real danger."

"Great, now that I've spilled the beans about how I feel, you remind me."

I gave him a flirty grin; he returned it.

I was at the house in less than five minutes knocking on the door. The house turned out to be the home of the gardener for my father's villa, Paolo. He was more than happy to help me out. He gave Greg and I a ride home, smiling and chattering away in Italian about how much he enjoyed working for vampires. I nodded a lot and squeezed Greg's hand as he leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. When we arrived at the villa, I made arrangements with the servants before letting them go to bed, to have the car towed to the mechanics to repair the dent in the back. I also arranged for a vet to treat the cow, if it was possible. It was four am by the time I had arranged all of this. Greg was lying on the sofa in the library while I was at the desk handling these matters.

I pushed back from the desk and went over to the couch. He seemed to be processing the idea that there were vampires a little at a time. He would accept something and then he'd reject it and then he'd finally accept another piece of the puzzle. But, more and more, his conversation was sounding like someone who believed. He had finally fallen asleep after trying hard to keep his eyes open.

"Greg? Sweetie? Wake up. Time for you to go on up to bed. I'll join you soon."

He rolled over and rubbed his eyes, pushing himself to sit up. "What time is it?"

"Four in the morning."

"Are we having sex?" His voice croaked as he tried to stand.

I had to laugh. I thought he was dead to the world and here he was thinking about sex. "Do you _want_ to have sex?"

He pulled his head back. "Don't you?"

"Uh, maybe earlier, but now I just want to get some sleep. Caleb is coming this evening and I'd like to get things ready."

"Why?"

"Because he's our guest."

"Well, I'm your guest and I'd like to have sex."

"I didn't realize sex was part of my duties as a hostess. But, come along, I'll be happy to lay back and think of England. You don't mind if I fall asleep in the process? I'm really very tired after all our excitement today."

He grinned like a little boy and hugged me, lifting me up off the floor. "That's fine with me."

"Really?" I shook my head and followed him up to my room.

He seemed to be wide awake as he started shedding his clothes. The shoes came off and were tossed into the corner, the belt and jeans were next followed by the upper half of his body. After a minute, there he was next to the bed in his socks and boxers looking at me with a frown on his face.

"Uh-hum." He cleared his throat. "Are you going to join me?"

"I'm taking out my earrings and removing my mascara, just cool your jets!"

"That's not exactly what you want to do when you're going to have sex. You want all systems go. So move it, slo-poke."

I took my clothes off as he pulled back the bedcovers and then removed his socks. As the last note of his little drama, he pulled down his boxers and yelled, "Ta-da!"

Admiring the lovely hard-on that he was proudly displaying, I clapped my hands. "Oh! Bravo! Bravo Signore House, come magnifici, quello che una costruzione bella. Sono così contenta!"

"Grazie!" He said as he bowed.

I undid my bra and threw it into the corner along with his shorts. He pulled his fist down to his side in a gesture of victory, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Get that splendid little ass over here; I have plans for it."

I walked over to the bed and let him pull me by the arm on top of him. We rolled to the left, me squealing and laughing. He began to tickle me. I tried to stop him, but he was relentless. Squirming under his fingertips, I finally started hitting him to get him to stop, but he just kept laughing.

"Greg, if you don't stop, I'm going to pee myself."

"Oh, this I've got to see." He intensified his attack.

I pushed him hard, sending him up into the air, landing back on the bed. I think my strength shocked him because he didn't try to stop me as I ran into the bathroom to pee. When I came out he was lying in bed, the sheet up to his waist. The lovely hard-on that he had been so proud of was not so hard.

He motioned to his floundering organ. "I'm going to need your help. How about a little erotic dancing?"

"Wait a minute. You promised me that I could just lie back and think of England."

He thought for a second. "While you're lying there, can I do whatever I want?"

"No. It depends on what you want."

"I want to explore your body."

"Christ Greg, aren't you tired?"

"I will be after I finish."

I surrendered. I was too tired to argue about it anymore. "Great…whatever you want to do, fine. Mi cuerpo es su cuerpo." I walked back to the bed as he pulled the sheet down for me to join him. I climbed in and lay down on my back. He didn't look into my eyes. He rolled so that his body was between my legs, but his torso was propped up as he looked down on my breasts. For several minutes all he did was stare at my breasts, admiring them.

"You have a third nipple."

I sat straight up, accidentally knocking his head back. "_What?"_

He put his finger two inches under my right breast. "This is a third nipple."

"No, that's a mole." I said, examining the pinkish brown object I had always assumed was a mole.

He grinned and shook his head. "That is a very happy little nipple. I'm a connoisseur of nipples and that's definitely a nipple. What's the problem? Lots of women have them. One of out eighteen women have them. It kind of turns me on." Leaning down, he licked it with his tongue, then flitted his tongue over it, sending an undeniable signal to my groin.

"Oh my God, it is a third nipple!"

He smiled as he spread the lips between my legs and started to lick, still looking up at me. Raising his face he wiggled his brows, "You have the prettiest, pinkest, sweetest little clit."

I blushed.

"Really, I mean it. Let me get a mirror."

"No! Just get on with it."

He laughed, but ducked his head down and started sucking hard and fast. I grabbed the sheets as the sparks between my legs began to fly. I had a hard time just lying back and thinking of England. I was thinking of the fourth of July. I started squirming under his tongue, pushing up into his lips with my groin. I grabbed his head to aim his tongue exactly where I wanted it.

"Oh yeah, oh God. Greg…yes, yes, yes. That's it. Ohhhhhh Fuuuuck!"

My head started to spin and the only thing I could think of was the waves of rapture coming from between my legs , rocketing to my breasts and then to my head. I grabbed his head to stop him, pulling him up towards my lips to kiss him.

He wasted no time spreading my legs and entering me. His jaw was tight as he slammed up into me with a deep grunt. The rhythm of his thrusts grew faster and faster.

"You know…" he said, trying to catch his breath, "I don't always do it missionary."

I giggled, "You do tonight. This feels too good to let you stop."

I felt the friction of his shaft pushing inside of me.

He must have felt the convulsion of my vagina against his erection. Winded, he had trouble getting out, "Hey, you've already had your orgasm. It's my turn."

"Sorry, but I'm coming." I wasn't lying. I was riding the wave once again, not as intense, but I could feel the muscles of my vagina clamping down on him.

It was all he needed to reach climax. "Oh, crap! That's ahhhhh…." I could feel the short strokes of him ejaculating.

When we both were done, he collapsed on top of me.

"You didn't bite me."

I nodded, "I know. Did you miss it?"

"Uh…I'm not sure. But,I really enjoyed making you come twice. I'm the man."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, can we go to sleep now?"

He rolled to his side of the bed. The smell of musk and sex permeated the room almost masking the delicious scent of his blood. I rolled over and as I reached up to turn off the light, I felt his hand trace from my shoulder to the cheek of my butt. The light off, I climbed over to put my head on his shoulder, only to find his lips on mine.

"Kiara?"

"Yes?"

"I think I'm falling in love…with your third nipple."

I laughed. "F#ck you! Go to sleep." In the dark I could see him looking in my direction.

"Seriously, I'm not sure where we go from here, but maybe when we get back we should move in together."

My heart popped. I squeezed him and then I thought about it. "Wait, what about Lana?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd want a threesome, but if you insist…"

"Not funny."

"I'll just break it to her, tell her it's over."

"Are you sure? After all, she doesn't need blood to survive. That's got to be in her favor."

"Uh, yeah, probably. But, then you've got the sex factor."

I nuzzled his nose. "Sex factor?"

"Yeah, best sex this side of the Mississippi."

"So all I'm good for is sex?"

"You should be grateful that the sex factor beats the no blood to survive factor."

I slapped his head playfully. "You were supposed to say that there's more to me than what's between my legs."

"Yeah, there is more to you—a third nipple."

"Ay Carumba!"

"What do you say? We move in together?"

"Let's get through the 'American in Italy' segment of our relationship first. If we survive Italy then maybe we can talk about it."

"I prefer the American in Vampire segment of our relationship. Get it? American _in_ vampire?"

"I get it. And no more _anybody _in this vampire until I've had some sleep, the sun is coming up."

"But, I thought you were immune to the sun."

"It still makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable how?"

"I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Greg."

He kissed my ear, "Good night, Elivra."

"Ha, ha."

I fell asleep a few minutes after that.


	16. Chapter 14 Part II

**Chapter 14 Part II**

**Introductions**

I woke up with Greg's arm draped across my breast and his face in his pillow muffling the snoring. The sun was up, but I could tell by its position that it was early afternoon, maybe two or two-thirty. I needed to get up to arrange dinner and to make the necessary preparations for Caleb's arrival.

As I scooted to the edge of the bed a hand reached out and pulled me back. "Where are you going? I thought you hated daylight."

"I'm not fond of it, but I have a lot to do before Caleb arrives."

"Yeah, getting back in bed and letting me go back to sleep on your breasts."

"I have to get up Greg."

"Just ten minutes?"

I sighed, but then I gave in, scooting back over. He lifted his head to smile at me, and then he plowed his head between my breasts, jiggling his face back and forth. After playing around, kissing and licking my nipples, he put his head down and fell back asleep. I waited until he was snoring again and then managed to extricate myself from the bed.

After showering and dressing, I managed to make my way to the kitchen where I heard yelling and people running around. All hell had broken loose.

"What's going on?" I asked Teresa.

"There's a flood in the basement."

"_What?" _I ran downstairs and discovered two inches of water throughout several of the rooms in the basement. "Oh, crap! Okay, get someone in here to fix it—now! We're going to have to prepare a bedroom to house King Burberry."

"What about his valet?"

"_Valet? Gordon is coming?" _I was becoming panicked.

"He notified us that his valet would be with him."

I was incensed, growling through my teeth, "He knows that we don't have room at this villa! What was he thinking?"

"We could ask Queen Sophia to put King Burberry up for the night." Teresa suggested.

_I bet that Greg would love that. Still, Caleb would feel slighted and I don't want anyone having bad feelings this week. I want everyone in good spirits. What do I do? _"We'll just have to prepare my father's room for today along with the other guest room. They'll sleep in there and then we'll transfer the valet and Caleb to the basement when it's dry."

I arranged for the dinner to be served at eight-thirty and for the menu to consist of a variety of dishes that I knew were Caleb's favorites. Greg got up at three-thirty and ate a light brunch, complaining of the fact that his circadian clock was going crazy sleeping through the day. I ignored him and let him fend for himself for the rest of the afternoon. He spent it playing the piano. I was quite impressed with his ability but I was hoping that he and Caleb didn't get into a pissing contest over music. Caleb is a virtuoso at the piano, having had centuries of practice.

At five, the coffins arrived, being delivered in deep ebony hearses with silver filigree edging the glass.

Greg went out to the drive to see what the fuss was and was mesmerized by the unloading of Caleb and his valet. Looking over at me, he asked, "Okay, this is just plain weird. Caleb is in one of those coffins?"

"Yes, the one with the family seal on top. Why?"

He grinned mischievously. "I just have to lift that lid and hold it open for a few minutes and he'd evaporate?"

"_Greg! That's horrible…I can't believe that you'd even think about that!"_

He looked sheepish. "Vampires are new to me, I was just wondering out loud."

"You're being rude."

I turned and made sure that the coffins were each sat on a plastic sheet that contained a handful of soil from their native regions. Gordon was from Newcastle and so the hearse carried a bag of soil from Newcastle. Caleb's carried soil from Rome in a little gold bag that went with him everywhere. The coffins were placed on top of the soil. After pulling the heavy velvet drapes in each room I left knowing that they would wake around eight, when the sun set.

As soon as the sun went down I called Sophia and requested her presence for Friday night, which would be father's first night awake in the villa.

"You want me there as a mediator, don't you?" She said with a certain touch of amusement in her voice.

I sighed. "It wouldn't be a bad idea. They'll listen to you, they won't listen to me."

"Of course I'll be there; I wouldn't miss this for the world. It's going to be the brawl of the summer."

"Oh, God, Sophia, please don't say that."

"How's that yummy morsel of yours?"

"He's still coming to grips with the vampire thing."

"Ah, poor baby. Well, I must go. See you later, Princess. Ciao!"

I went up to change, knowing that I was in for a bumpy ride. I was in the shower when I felt something, someone nearby. As I rinsed my hair, I called out, "Greg, we'll be eating in about fifteen minutes."

"Darling, it's me."

I turned to find Caleb standing outside the shower with a towel for me. He was dressed for dinner in a dinner jacket and bowtie. He looked so much like Peter O'Toole that I had to look twice. "I came by to ask why we're in bedrooms? Isn't that a little risky?"

I threw my arms around my body to hide my breasts.

"Oh for God's sakes Kiara, I've seen your body thousands of times before."

"Yeah, well not while I'm banging her." I heard Greg's voice from the other side of the bathroom. I turned to see him with his hands on his hips giving Caleb a stern look.

I reached out of the stall and grabbed the towel from Caleb.

Caleb said very politely, "Good evening, Greg. Please forgive me. I didn't know you were _banging _our hostess. I'll leave you to it." Caleb gave him a gentle nod, started for the door, stopping for Greg to get out of the way.

Greg glared at Caleb, but moved slightly out of the way to let him get by. When Caleb was gone I turned to Greg. "Greg, don't get on his bad side. If he wanted to make you his dinner there's nothing that I could do about it. He's a king and although it's polite for him to follow Sophia's ban on your blood; he could get away with ignoring it."

"What was he doing in here anyway?"

"You heard him. He wanted to know why he wasn't in the basement. Vampires like having an extra layer of protection from the sun by being underground during the day when they sleep. If the coffin is opened, they can still protect themselves from the sun. In a bedroom, with large windows, it's not so easy. Now get your shower and join us downstairs."

"You still love him, don't you?"

"Greg. I'm not having this discussion. I'm going to go downstairs to my guest."

He started the shower as I dried my hair and then dressed in a cocktail dress. After applying a thin layer of makeup and mascara, I descended the steps and entered the salon. Caleb was standing stoically by the bar adding ice to a drink. He looked so dashing and handsome, his tall, thin profile was impressive in a sophisticated way. He looked every inch the Roman Senator he had been.

Holding the glass up he asked, "Drink?"

I nodded. "I think I'll have an Oban on the rocks."

He began to prepare it. "You always looked beautiful in cobalt blue. But then I was reminded this evening that you look beautiful in nothing too."

I rolled my eyes. "That was a very naughty thing to do and you know it."

"Sorry. I really wasn't thinking. When I unlatched my coffin and opened it, I was shocked to see the last rays of sunlight coming through a crack in the drapes. I think I was so excited about seeing you that I opened the coffin prematurely."

"Ah, premature ejection."

We both laughed, walking over to the sofa together. Sitting down, he grabbed my hand.

"Are you sure you want to 'bang' a mortal? What happens if you have an argument and break up?"

My mouth dropped. "Caleb!"

"It's a legitimate question. If your father won't have this conversation, I will."

"No, you won't." I gave him a nervous laugh, "Why do all the men in my life insist on having conversations on things that are none of their business. Like I told Greg a few minutes ago, I'm not having this conversation."

He turned serious, grabbing my hands. "You could die if he turns on you, works with the Guardians."

"I'm not going to die."

Greg came into the room and smiled at us. "Now isn't this cozy? Do we have her draw straws to see who she plays footsy with under the dinner table?"

Caleb gave me a gentle smile as he let go of my hand. "It would appear that Kiara prefers to play footsy with you, Greg."

Greg snickered. "Don't cry, Caleb, I'm sure there's a girl with AB blood out there with your name on her."

Caleb and I both stared at him in horror.

"Hello? What did I say?" Greg asked looking at us with bewilderment.

"Greg, Guardians have AB blood. We don't even tease about that."

"Oh for God's sake, lighten up you two."

Caleb took a drink of whiskey, "Yes, he's right, Kiara. Let's loosen up. Have some more." He poured me another whiskey. "Have you seen Sophia?"

"Yes, she should be over tomorrow night."

He smiled, "Referee?"

"Well? What do you expect?" I collapsed back onto the sofa. "Oh please Caleb, please behave."

"What's going on?" Greg asked.

I said nothing.

Caleb took another drink and chuckled. "Oh Kiara, put Greg out of his misery."

"I wanted to have a pleasant dinner." I said, pouting.

"Well, Greg, it appears that I will have to enlighten you." He said in his very posh Oxbridge accent. "Sean and I used to be very close friends, at least before Kiara and I became…close. He found it difficult to share her with me at first, but after ten years, he started to get used to the idea. But then, after we had lived together sixteen years…" (I began to sink down into my chair. I hadn't revealed to Greg that I had actually lived with Caleb sixteen years, not six.) "Kiara and I broke up and her father was convinced it was my fault—"

"_It was your fault."_ I interjected strongly.

He rolled his eyes, "I will ignore that for now. Anyway, one of my protégés, a young female vampire that I had turned was visiting the states. She turned a human in Philadelphia under the providence of Kiara's father and without his permission. The new vampire went on a killing spree near Princeton and failed to pledge his allegiance to her father. When the couple fled back to England, I was preoccupied with several Guardians who had infiltrated my mortal staff. I chose to ignore Sean's demands that I punish them. I felt that I had to deal first with the Guardians and then I could deal with Sean's pride—"

"Pride? The police were on his ass and you were ignoring his pleas to send back the vampires who had created the problem!" I protested.

"Yes, well perhaps I made a mistake, but I'd lost three vampires in my sect and we were having trouble determining how Guardians had managed to infiltrate our family. Strangely, it turned out that they were taking garlic supplements. We couldn't smell the B element of their AB blood."

I was shocked. I didn't know that AB blood could be masked. Really?"

"Yes, but luckily we were able to eliminate the small cell of Guardians before they shared their secret with other Guardians."

"I didn't think garlic affected you bloodsuckers." Greg said.

"It doesn't hurt us; it only masks the smell of their blood."

"To finish this tale, the argument between Sean and I escalated from my failure to deal with the vampires to my failure to be the perfect companion to his daughter. We haven't spoken since, except to exchange greetings at the annual international meeting of the Order of Vampires."

"So Sean is your Dad?" Greg asked me.

"Yes, you met him." I wanted to ask Caleb about this revelation--about them arguing over me-- but I didn't want to do it in front of Greg.

"Lord Larkin, the young guy?"

I nodded. "You didn't believe me."

"Man, how weird is it to look older than your dad?"

"Weird." I responded.

"So when did this happen?"

Caleb shrugged, looking up as if he was trying to remember.

"Forty years ago." I finally said.

"_Forty years?" _Greg threw his head back and laughed. "You two kept a grudge for forty years?"

"I never had a grudge." Caleb said. "I simply won't engage in arguing with Sean anymore."

Greg turned to me. "But, isn't your Dad coming here?"

"Tomorrow."

The grin spread from ear to ear, "Oh, this is going to get good. Lover, ex-lover, father, warring kings…wow, you know how to throw a house party."

I sighed as Caleb laughed in approval of Greg's observation.

Caleb didn't start to eat his antipasto so I knew he needed to feed. Vampires can't tolerate real food until they've been satiated by blood.

"Caleb, do you need to feed?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, but I didn't have time to feed before sitting down. Besides, I didn't know if you had anyone available."

"We have an O negative woman and an A negative male for your consumption." I was pretty sure he would take the woman even though the A negative blood would be more tasty. Most vampires liked to feed off of the opposite sex for obvious reasons, but also, for men, it meant that they could sit a woman on their lap and feed comfortably. If he chose the man, he'd probably have to stand to feed.

"I'll take the O negative."

I took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth and both Caleb and I knew it. It was one thing for a mortal to know that vampires existed, another to watch as a vampire fed off of the neck or wrist of a human.

The woman came in dressed in a shoulderless dress. I couldn't see any marks on her which meant that she had had the proper time to heal since she had last donated. The woman was in her late twenties and very pretty, a dark blonde with very classic Italian features. Caleb pushed his chair back for her to sit on his lap. Once she was seated, he pulled her neck to his mouth, hesitated as he gauged Greg's reaction. I looked over and saw that Greg was fascinated, leaning forward to watch.

It was actually impolite to watch, but I didn't admonish him. I continued to eat my antipasto and was taking a drink when I heard the distinctive sound of flesh and muscle tearing and the sound of Caleb sucking the blood from her neck. I looked up and saw Greg's mouth drop and his skin turn white. I thought for a second he might pass out.

"Greg? Are you okay?"

He swallowed hard and took a drink of his wine. "That's just plain disgusting."

"She doesn't feel a thing now and she'll heal rather rapidly from the chemicals he will inject. Caleb will only take a unit, maybe a little more. There's nothing disgusting about feeding."

"Oh, yes there is and you know it. Brrrrrr. I'm glad you're on my side now."

Caleb finished and then wiped his mouth as the woman was carried out by Carlo. Caleb turned and smiled, indicating that he was ready for mortal food. The staff brought him a fresh plate of Antipasto and we ate. We finished dinner and, after several hours of rather congenial discussion about medicine over the centuries and Greg's talent of diagnosing, Greg announced that he was going to bed.

I was shocked. "Why? It's only two am?"

"Two am! I'm not a vampire. I need sunlight, I need sleep!" He stood up and reached a hand out to me.

I looked at his hand and shook my head. "What? No, I'm not ready for bed. I'll join you later."

"But I wanted to discuss my stimulus package."

Caleb tried not to laugh, but a few snickers leaked out.

"Uh, Greg. I'll be up later."

"I can feel my stock falling."

I was blushing bright red and Caleb was loving it.

"Go to bed, Greg."

"I've been dreaming all day of getting my leg over, so come on woman, get your booty upstairs so I can tap that ass."

I was mortified, unable to speak. My body was shaking with embarrassment and anger as I glared, jaw tight at Greg.

Caleb spoke up, "Greg, would you give me a few minutes with Kiara?"

"So you can try and get your leg over?" Greg barked.

I growled at him, "Greg, don't be so crude. I'll come up in a few minutes."

He didn't budge.

"Please?" I begged.

He said nothing, but tossed his head back slightly and stormed out of the room. I looked at Caleb who was shaking his head.

"He's a child Kiara. Is that really who you want to be with?"

"You're right, but at least he wears his childishness on his sleeve rather than hide it and just think like a little boy. I always know where I stand with him, which is refreshing. Calling a spade a spade is his trademark, no matter how embarrassing it is."

"Well, I can only imagine he'd be dead if he had that conversation in front of your father."

The truth of what he was saying wasn't lost on me. My father hated crude people and would be unlikely to tolerate vulgar insinuations being directed at his daughter. I would have to talk to Greg about his behavior, especially since his life would depend on it. "Yes, I know." I said quietly.

He stood up and came over to sit next to me on the long brocade sofa. Holding my hand, he looked into my eyes, a gesture to let me know how serious he was. "I know I hurt you. I'm very sorry. I was an idiot and I will regret it forever. But, you deserve better treatment from him…from me. I keep hoping that you'll see I've been a good student and have learned my lesson. I desperately want you back. I love you Kiara. I'll always love you."

I felt like crying. I had loved Caleb like no other. But that night in London forty years ago flooded my mind like HDTV. I had returned a day early from Princeton hoping I could surprise him at his flat in Soho which he stayed at when I was out of England. I saw the fresh puncture wounds in his neck as soon as he opened the door. His eyes widened before he looked sheepishly down at his feet. I stood motionless with my suitcases, unable to go forward, unable to run. My whole world came crashing down and I felt like I was being dragged into a vortex. A vampire king like Caleb would never allow himself to be bitten unless he was having sex. The act of being bitten by a vampire during sex is a stimulant that intensifies the experience in a way no street drug can. Caleb and I almost always indulged in this erotic act during our nights of passion because of the intensity of the climax it gave us. The bite marks on his neck could mean only one thing. I reached up and pulled his collar down, the scars were still not quite healed, meaning that they had probably had sex within minutes of me barging in.

I ran past him into the bedroom, but the Vampire was already gone. The sheets were ruffled and there was a smell of sweat in the room. I fell to the floor bursting into a flood of tears. Caleb was even paler than usual. He tried to pick me up, swearing that it meant nothing, that it was someone from his past, that it 'just happened'. I beat and scratched him, pushing him away. Falling back into the cashmere chair, Caleb finally collapsed, dropping his head into his hands and hunching his shoulders, accepting the fact that it was no use trying to defend himself. I composed myself and left him, running back to Princeton and the safety of my father's home.

"Caleb. I wish we could go back and relive those moments--that I had caught a later flight and never caught you or, even better, that you had said 'no' to her. But, I did find you and you didn't say no. I've moved on—years ago. I've made a good life, I contribute to medicine and science, I'm content."

"Content? You used to be happy."

I smiled sadly, "Happy's overrated."

"Do you think that he can make you happy?"

"He makes me laugh."

Caleb surrendered, "You should go to him before he has a tantrum."

"I'm going to call it an early evening. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Yes and we'll have your father to contend with. Well, no one can say this is going to be a boring weekend." He leaned in and kissed my cheek, his lips lingering longer than they should on my skin. When he pulled away, he couldn't look at me. I think he had tears in his eyes.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Did he tell you he loved you and wanted you back?"

"What makes you think that?" I asked as I slipped my heels off and began to unzip my dress. "Damn, it's stuck."

As I walked over to have him help with the zipper, he reached up and pulled me down, "Anyone with two eyes can tell that he loves you."

His lips pressed softly against mine as his hand slipped down the top of my dress, caressing my breast. I pulled back from his touch. "Let me get undressed. " I stood back up. "Now be a good boy and help me with my zipper."

He managed to get the zipper unstuck and I stepped out of my dress. I was in my sexiest underwear, all black lace and very complimentary to my figure. Greg whistled lightly. "Oh, I can see my stimulus package is working, my portfolio just went up."

I walked over, my hands on my hips. He reached out and grabbed, but I dashed—vampire fast-- to the other side of the bed before he could even perceive that I was gone. The look on his face was priceless when he came up with air instead of my body.

"What the…?"

"Before I crawl in that bed, I need to talk to you about your behavior tonight."

He smirked. "Caleb complained?"

"No, but he reminded me that my father will literally have your neck if you pull that tomorrow. Honestly, Greg, my father is very protective of me and won't tolerate anyone, even someone I'm fond of, saying anything rude or crude to me."

"My God, this is the twenty-first century…we talk about sex, joke about it."

"My father was born when Thomas Jefferson was still alive. Crude and rude just doesn't sit well with him."

Greg sat up and shook his head, "Thomas Jefferson? Christ, if he was about thirty when he was turned and you were conceived ..._How old are you?"_

"Now _that's_ a rude question!"

"No, seriously, how old are you?"

"I was born the year of the first Henley Regatta."

"Jesus, that old?"

I was impressed. "You _know_ the year of the first Henley Regatta?"

"Not the exact year, but I do remember reading about a race in the 1840's."

"1840. I was born in 1840."

He turned white. I think it finally hit him that this wasn't just a science project. Standing in front of him was someone who had lived 169 years and would probably live another 200.

"I've dated older women, even lived with one, but whew, you're down right decrepit. I'm surprised that your yoo hoo isn't dried up like an old mummy."

I shook my head. "Greg, do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"That you're older than dirt?"

"_That my father will kill you if you piss him off!"_

He started laughing at me. "I get it! I get it! Now climb in bed before you crumble into dust and I have to sweep you up."

I climbed under the sheet and into his waiting arms. "You drive me nuts."

"Well, I'm already crazy about you. Don't go back to Julius Caesar. Move in with me when we get home." His eyes were hollow tunnels into his soul and I could see that he genuinely wanted me to move in with him or at least that's what he thought. I didn't really know if it was him or the blood-bond talking.

"Let's make love and worry about Princeton when we get back."

"Boy, you know how to dangle a carrot, don't you?"

"For some reason, sex seems to be the only thing to keep you in line. I plan on using it a lot." I teased.

He pulled me over and started to tickle me. I used my power and pinned him down against the bed, rubbing my breasts against his chest. I could smell the sweat from under his arms and feel the hair of his chest on my breasts. I reached down to stroke his balls.

"Hey, as long as you're showing your muscles, mind giving me a really good licking?" He said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Dipping down I gave him the licking he deserved and was rewarded with him being unable to control his portfolio. I cleaned off my chin and face and started laughing. "It seems as if your stimulus package did the trick, but mine is being held in escrow."

"Not for long. I still have a tongue."

And boy did he use that tongue. By the time I was climaxing, he was hard again, a feat he could now accomplish because of the exchange of our blood on New Year's Eve. As he danced inside of me, I rode the orgasm that he expertly whipped up.

I had just caught my breath when he whispered in my ear, "Bite me."

"_What?" _I looked down at him.

He kept his rhythm as he leaned in. "I want you to bite me."

I wrinkled my brow, unsure as to whether he understood what he was asking. "If I bite you, I'll feed. I'll take some of your blood. You understand that?"

"Bite me."

I clamped down with my vaginal muscles and increased the rhythm of our dance until I was sure he was reaching his climax. Leaning down, I let my breasts rest against his chest as his hands slipped over my ass, rubbing and massaging them. My retractiles slipped down and I opened my mouth wide coming down quickly so that I could inject him as fast as possible.

He let out a scream that scared me at first, but then I realized that it was a glorious combination of the ecstasy and fear that comes with being bit. He ejaculated so many times I could feel the semen running out of me. He gasped for air, but had a hard time finding it. I rubbed his neck to massage the narcotic of the bite into his neck muscle. There was a huge heave up as his lungs filled noisily with air and then he shuddered. I waited as he closed his eyes and caught his breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know if I could take that every time we make love. It's addictive and incredible, but I can feel my whole body wracking when it happens."

"Yes, I wouldn't suggest you do it each time."

We both reclined back on the bed, allowing a few minutes of quiet to pass before he asked, "Do you think he heard me?"

"Caleb? Of course he did. Our senses are much more refined than yours. Besides, it was loud enough that I'm sure the human servants heard too."

"I'm glad. I want him to know that we were doing the nasty."

"You're such a child."

"What about you? Does biting you do the same thing?"

"You mean enhance the orgasm?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

He was quiet, probably contemplating the fact that he couldn't give me the same orgasm that Caleb had. He turned to me with a serious look written all over his face.

"Is there any way I can give you the same experience?"

I put my hand on his beard and kissed his lips. "No, but it's okay. I enjoy my orgasms with you, they're very intense. You're a good lover, Greg. I have no complaints."

"But, I'll never give you the earth shattering feeling that I have when you bite, right? I can't make you come like he can."

I sighed. "If it mattered I'd be with Caleb, not you."

We were quiet for another five minutes and then he burst out with, "Fuck! I can't stop thinking about you with him and you screaming like I did. I can just imagine the long and hard contractions of your vagina when he bit you."

I got up on my elbows. "Oh, God, would you stop this? I told you that if it mattered to me, I'd dump you and go back to Caleb."

"I'm going to die before you." He said without warning.

I gasped and then finally responded, "Probably, but not definitely. Guardians usually operate in packs or cells. Wherever that guy came from, there's another behind him."

"Have you decided whether you're going to live with me?"

"Greg? Why are you harping on this?"

He shrugged, "I just don't want to be apart from you."

_That's because we're bonded, not because you love me. Should I tell you? Should I let you know that this is a chemical reaction to the exchange of our blood? That it has nothing to do with whether or not you really care about me. Does it matter? It feels so real to me; it feels just as real to you. Let me have our time together here in Italy and then, well…then I'll tell you so that you can find someone else._

"I understand. But, we have a lot to sort out and with everything that's going on, I can't think about it right now. Please?"

He kissed my nose and indicated that he understood. Putting his head on my breasts, we fell asleep until ten the next morning.


	17. Chapter 15 Part I

**Chapter 15 Part I**

**Release**

"God, the sun is so bright today. I hate waking up this early."

I slapped his tummy lightly. "You? I'm the one that's uncomfortable in daylight. Besides, if you had stayed up until four or five, we'd still be asleep. This is all your fault!" I was berating him as I rushed around the villa shutting the drapes. Teresa's daughter, Julia, came into the room to help me.

"Princess Kiara, the cellar is dry now," she announced.

"Oh, that's great. Have Carlo get some help and move Caleb and his valet down to the basement."

"Your father is also on his way from the airport."

My heart skipped a beat and I broke out into a sweat. I wasn't sure if it was because I was excited to see my Dad, who had been in Ireland for the last two months, or if I was nervous about his meeting with Caleb or I was afraid that Greg would say something idiotic and end up being a four course meal. I had to sit down.

"You're even paler than normal. What's wrong?"

"It just hit me that my father is coming. Greg, you really, really have to behave. You don't know what my father is capable of doing when it comes to me."

"Such as?"

I sat back and winced. "He turned my fiancé just before my wedding to prevent us from marrying."

Greg's eyes grew wide. "_He turned someone because they were in love with you?_"

"He thought Padraig wasn't good enough for me, that he just wanted my title and money, so a week before we married, he started to turn Padraig. He "died" the night before our wedding. Padraig didn't forgive me for decades. Even now he barely says two words to me when we meet."

Greg looked pale. "Do you think he'll turn me?"

I didn't know how to answer. I was never quite sure of what my father might do when it came to protecting me. "Just behave."

There was a commotion out front and I soon realized that my father had arrived. Four hearses pulled up and the men began to unload the coffins. My father's gorgeous black lacquered coffin with his family crest in gold filigree was unloaded first. I walked with the men as they made their way into the cellar. It was dark, but it wasn't your typical cellar. It had several private rooms and some rooms that could accommodate two coffins at a time. My father's lair, as we called them, was a large room with a marble dais and a bathroom just off of it where he could shower and dress when he woke. The Italian tile on the floor was from a nearby Travertine quarry. The room was cool with thick sandstone walls that kept the heat out. It was lit by several dim overhead chandeliers. The only other furniture was two overstuffed chairs and a chest of drawers. Most of my father's things were upstairs in his bedroom.

Once he was in place I put my hand on his coffin and smiled. "Good day Daddy, sleep tight. I'll see you tonight. Sophia is coming, so wear something regal when you get up. I love you." I kissed the lid and went upstairs as they were bringing Mario's coffin and two more 'enforcers' that Mario had recruited from his vampire friends.

I made sure that everyone was cozy in the basement before joining Greg outside on the veranda. He was reading a book and drinking a double of single malt whiskey. I immediately went back inside and put on a wide brimmed hat, a long sleeved shirt and sunglasses before venturing out into the brutal Italian sun.

"Christ you look like a mummy more than a vampire."

"It's not funny. This isn't easy for me when it's this bright. I'm better when it's cloudy out."

"So, is everyone sorted?"

"Daddy is in his lair. Mario has his own quarters. His men are in their room. Caleb is on the other side of the basement with his valet next door. We're good for the moment, but we have a full house. We can't accommodate any more vampires."

"I thought I'd live my entire life before I ever heard those words spoken."

I smiled and went over to sit on his lap. He was very sweet, pulling me down onto his lap and hugging me gently and quietly, something I wasn't expecting him to do. It was moments like this that I waited for. He could be so sweet when he wanted to be.

"You're so beautiful today. I'd have sex with you right here if you wouldn't fry on me."

"Would it be too much to ask that you just hold me?"

He ran his hand through my hair and looked in my eyes. "That's something I think I could do for a very long time."

_Ah, shucks. How can I not love that?_

I melted into Greg's arms and let him hold me for a good half hour before Teresa came to get me. The lobster for the lobster thermidor had not arrived so we had to make a change to the menu. I went up to get ready, hoping that I could then rustle Caleb up before my father made his appearance upstairs.

After my shower I walked out to get dressed only to find Greg lying on the bed nude with a huge hard-on. "Oh, Greg…I have so much to do."

"This will be quick."

I dried my hair and hung the towel up. I went to the chest of drawer to get out some underwear when suddenly hands grabbed my breasts from behind and then he twirled me around so that I was facing the bed.

"Greg!"

Before I could say anything else, he pushed me face down into the bed and kneed my legs apart. I could barely breathe. I felt his fingers separate me just before he entered. It was rough sex, no time for me to work up any lubrication, just the semen from the tip of his penis helped to smooth the way, but it wasn't enough. I felt like he was tearing me up.

I'm sure he heard the cries coming from me, but he didn't or couldn't stop. He was ramming into me, grabbing my hair from behind and pulling my head up. I could have thrown him off, but I didn't want to hurt him. He pulled out and plunged back in, sending a pain through my vagina. I screamed and that sent him into overdrive. He grabbed my breast from underneath and squeezed hard. Why he was being so rough, I didn't know, but I could tell it was about to end as he came to the short strokes. When it was over I crawled away from him and curled up at the top of the bed.

He seemed shocked at my behavior, my need to get away from him. "What's wrong?"

"You tell me. What was that about?" I screamed.

He wilted. "I thought if I roughed it up, it might…"

"Come close to being bit?" He didn't have to respond, I knew I was right. "Greg, that hurt!"

"I'm sorry. I thought you healed quickly?"

"I do, but that doesn't mean I don't feel pain."

He looked down at the floor and stood there looking embarrassed. I didn't have time to digest what had just happened so I crawled off the bed and got dressed. Greg disappeared into the shower and didn't come out until after I left to go down to the cellar.

I went to the north end where Caleb's coffin was and entered the room. It was tiled floor to ceiling and had a chaise lounge, an ensuite bathroom and a flat screen television. I sat on the chaise until the clock read 7:40 pm. I went over and unlatched the coffin lid. Lifting it up, I had to smile. Caleb always looked so sweet and innocent when he was asleep. He opened his eyes and smiled up at me, his light blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of the lair.

"I remember all those years and how wonderful it was to see your face when the coffin was opened. Well, has your father arrived?" He unlatched the rest of the coffin and opened it up. Getting out, I giggled at his striped pajamas; they were so British, so Caleb.

"For someone who was born in Rome and captured by the Irish tribes, you really adopted the whole British thing."

"I'll have you know that I spent two years in the fort next to Hadrian's wall before being summoned back to Rome. I dare say that I've got more right to call myself British than 99% of the population that live there."

"Yes, of course. But enough of this-- get your shower and get ready. I want to take you upstairs as soon as the sun is down which should be in twenty minutes."

"Frightened that your father and I will bump into each other down here?"

"Yes. I won't lie, I am. Now get ready."

"Stay and talk to me." Caleb said, grabbing my wrist.

"Caleb, you know I have a lot to do. I'll be back soon. Now, be a good boy, okay?"

I gave him a peck on the cheek and took off.

Mario was already up along with his minions. They were roaming the basement, checking things out and waiting for the sun to go down.

"Mario? Don't get my father up yet. Wait twenty minutes, okay? We're not eating until nine. Queen Sophia arrives at eight-thirty. I want to get Caleb upstairs before Daddy comes out of his room, okay?"

"Sure Ker, but how am I supposed to do that if he wakes up in the next few minutes."

"Just stall!"

Mario gave me a look that said, "yeah, right!"

Caleb appeared upstairs in his evening coat as soon as the sun set. Greg graciously played bartender making sure that Caleb had a drink. Caleb chose to feed before everyone else, deciding on a middle aged woman with AB blood. Afterwards, Caleb mentioned that her blood was absolutely delicious and invigorating and that I should try it sometime.

We sent down some of the other donors for Mario, Gordon and the two goons. I waited for my father, biting my nails as I did. I heard the door to the cellar open and Mario's voice. Then I heard my father's. He walked through the door like the King he is. Despite being 5' 10", my father seems taller because he walks so erect and has this air of superiority that is hard to ignore. Of course, Caleb is older and actually outranks my father, but since this was my father's villa and Sophia's territory, Caleb was actually low crown on the totem pole for the evening.

I rushed over and hugged my father who smiled for the first time since entering. "Acushla, you look well."

"I am, Daddy."

He turned to Caleb with annoyance in his voice, "And, what are you doing here?"

"He's my house guest Daddy. I invited Caleb before I knew you were coming. Sophia is on her way too. Won't it be nice to have the three of you together?"

He pushed me away, his retractibles slipping down with his anger. "This is unacceptable."

My father looked terrifying, his anger showing by the drop of his retractiles. I caught Greg's look of fright and motioned him to be quiet so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Nervous, but pissed, I gave my father a firm stare and said, "Daddy, don't. I know why you're mad at Caleb and you're being pigheaded. Yes, he hurt me, but I've forgiven him and moved on. I treasure his friendship and so I expect you to bury the hatchet too. After all, it was me who was hurt, not you."

"This man slept with a no-nothing when he was living with you. It was not only an affront to you, but to me too." My father motioned to Greg to pour him a drink.

Greg looked a little nervous and begged me with his eyes to tell him what to do.

"My father drinks Jamison on the rocks."

Greg turned and began to pour his hand shaking just slightly. I couldn't blame him, I was so nervous my heart was pounding in my chest.

"Sean, if you want me to leave, I will." Caleb offered.

I shook my head at Caleb, knowing that my father would probably take him up on the offer. I jumped in front of my father just as he was about to say something.

"Daddy, if Caleb goes, Greg and I go too."

My Dad pulled his head back and looked over at Greg as if it was the first time he had even noticed he was there. "Is this the mortal who's bonded to you?"

I shook my head.

"Well of course he's going to leave if you go. He has no choice; he won't be able to stop himself." The sarcasm wasn't lost on Greg and I could see he was curious, wondering what my father meant.

Greg was about to ask me, but I raised my hand to stop him then turned again to my father. "Daddy, for me, please, please, end this drama. It hurts me to know that I was partially the cause for your disagreement."

"It wasn't just you, my love." My father said softly.

"I know. I know I was the culmination of several things. But, you never stopped to ask Caleb what was going on in his life--why he didn't give in to your requests."

My father glanced up at Caleb while I stood in the middle of the room realizing that I was standing between three of the greatest Alpha Males to walk the earth and either the room was going to implode or we were going to create a magical universe where all alpha males stopped pissing over each other's scent.

"Fine. You're friends can stay just keep them out of my way. I'll take my dinner upstairs on the balcony."

"_No! I told you that Sophia was coming."_ I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "You can't turn down dinner with the Queen when you haven't even been to her house yet to ask permission to vacation in her territory."

Daddy turned to Caleb. "Have you seen Sophia?"

"No, I just arrived yesterday and haven't had a chance."

He relaxed, his retractiles retracting and then shrugged, taking a sip of his Jamesons. "Dr. House, it is Dr. House, right?"

Greg was surprised by the attention, causing him to swallow his drink the wrong way. He sputtered and coughed, trying to answer the question.

"Yes, this is Greg House. You can call him Greg, Daddy."

My father smirked, "Greg. Did you follow my daughter to Europe?"

Still coughing, Greg asked, "Follow?"

"Yes, follow. Did you follow her?"

"I agreed to present a paper in London and then she invited me to Italy."

"More like he invited himself." Caleb offered.

"Caleb, be quiet." I snapped. "Daddy, please. Let's not get into this."

"Get into what?" Greg asked. "What do you mean by follow?"

"Acushla, you need to tell him."

I looked at the floor and tried to will myself to disappear.

"Tell me what?" Greg demanded looking back and forth between all of us.

"Why you're following my daughter around like a puppy."

Greg chuckled, "It's because she has a great a—"

"_Greg!"_

"Attitude." He corrected himself.

Teresa came in and notified us that Sophia had arrived.

"Thank God." I said aloud.

Sophia hadn't seen either King in several years and so I was curious as to who would receive the initial greeting. It would tell me a lot about how the weekend would go. Caleb, as the eldest of us, should have been acknowledged first. Of all the vampire kings, Caleb ranked second. Sophia was about fifty years older than my father, but my father had been a King longer than she had been a queen, so he was next in line.

Sophia breezed into the room and went straight to Greg, giving him a kiss on both cheeks and a very seductive smile. "Greg, you look adorable. I do hope these three have been treating you well."

Greg raised a single eyebrow, "Uh, yes. I'm like a pig in shit."

She laughed. "I love Americanisms." Turning she came straight to me and handed me the little gift that was in her hand. "Princess, I hope you like this. It's an old Gaelic charm that I thought might help." I too received the kisses on both cheeks.

Then she sighed and turned to look at the two Kings. "Well, aren't you two going to welcome me? I am, after all, your hostess in my territory."

They both looked at each other and then walked over to her, kissing her on the respective cheeks and then kissing her signet ring.

"You both look extremely handsome. I don't know which one of you I should bed first. Of course, if Greg weren't already sharing our Princess's bed, I'd have had my way with him already."

The truth was that my father had been in Sophia's bed numerous times, but I wasn't sure that Caleb had. He had never mentioned it and I didn't pick up on any strong attraction between them. That didn't mean that over the centuries they hadn't tried each other on, it just meant I didn't think Caleb desired Sophia physically. My father smiled at the suggestion of having sex with Sophia and immediately his mood switched from rancid to romantic. He became very attentive to Sophia and her needs, getting her a drink, making sure she was comfortable when we all ate and chatting her up. Both Sophia and my father fed off of humans at the table, causing Greg to look out the French doors at the gorgeous view.

The night went well, better than I had hoped. Because of Sophia's amorous attention to my father, his good mood spilled over into being magnanimous towards Caleb, even suggesting during the night that Caleb and I had been a match made in heaven, it was a shame that Caleb's willy got in the way. I looked at Caleb who gave me a quick glance of embarrassment.

Greg rolled his eyes and continued to admire the view of the lake from the veranda. I could see clearly the number of sailboats on the lake, but Greg told me that he could only see the occasional one as it came close to the dock.

"Do you want to go out for a few minutes? "

"Sailing?"

"The sailboat at the dock is ours."

"Sure, it sounds great."

We grabbed a bottle of champagne, some glasses and excused ourselves. As we traveled down the path to the boat we were met by several sets of Vampires making their way to our villa from the dock.

I ran into Victor, a rather plain Romanian Vampire with deep brown eyes. He was fairly high in the council of vampires. "Kiara! We've come to welcome your father and to see Caleb. It's so good to know that they've mended their relationship."

"Yes, we're very pleased."

"Where are you going?"

"Sailing for a few minutes. We'll be back soon."

He smiled up at Greg, "Your donor smells delicious; perhaps he'd do me the pleasure later?"

I squeezed Greg's hand. "Sorry, this isn't a donor, he's my friend and he's under the protection of my father and Sophia. Greg, this is Victor."

Victor's face fell in obvious disappointment. "That's a shame. Well, welcome to Bagnoli Irpino, Greg." Victor stuck his hand out daintily, quickly giving away his sexual orientation.

Greg shook his hand—daintily—and then stuck his hip out as if he were gay. Luckily Victor found it amusing and said a merry goodbye, dragging the crowd up the path to the Villa for an impromptu party.

We spent an hour on the lake sailing and motoring around when the wind died down. I enjoyed sailing; it was relaxing, better than a day at the spa. Greg was surprisingly adept at sailing, telling me that his father had him in a sailboat from the time he was five.

"There's a lot of boats out here on the lake. Doesn't anyone sail during the day?"

"Day means daylight..."

It hit him, "These are all vampires?"

"Uh-huh."

"What is this, Club Med for vampires?"

"Close. The surrounding communities tolerate us in exchange for secure work and a comfortable lifestyle."

"So, Sophia is Queen of Italy?"

"Southern Italy. Caleb is King of the United Kingdom. My Dad is King of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, North Carolina and Ireland."

"How did he get that gig?"

"The former monarch nominates someone and the Council of Vampires approves it after the former monarch dies. If they don't approve it, the population votes on the issue. If the population doesn't accept the nominee, then the council nominates someone and the population votes until someone has a majority."

"Did the population vote on your father?"

"No, the Council approved his nomination unanimously."

We motored back to the Villa only to discover that the dock was crowded with sailboats flying the different colors of Vampire sects. We anchored off the shore and rowed to the dock in the inflatable dinghy. I notified Carlo that the sailboat would need to be docked in the morning after our guests had left and then we joined the party. Two dozen vampires and their mortal guests milled around the veranda drinking and snacking (on mortal food.) It was like 'old home' week. I was grateful that I was able to talk to a few vampires I hadn't seen since I had moved to Princeton forty years ago. Greg listened to our stories of the past and our part in history. There was genuine interest on his part, which came through in his numerous questions about World War I. After we were tired of telling war stories, the group split up into smaller factions around the room. I was talking to Victor and his friends for over an hour.

I finally excused myself and joined Greg on the north veranda. He was talking and laughing with a female vampire with deep auburn hair that I didn't recognize at first because he was blocking her. Standing very close to her, if I hadn't known better, I would have said that he was about to go in for a kiss when I cleared my throat and surprised him. He turned and I could see his eyes were bloodshot and his head wobly.

"Greg, it's three am, I'm going up to bed. I was up pretty early."

He looked at his companion, who I know recognized as Heather Carson, a British vampire with very long, shapely legs, a tiny waist and 36 D's, and then back at me with my 34 C-minuses. Grimacing, he finally acknowledged me, "I'll join you in a few minutes." It was clear that he wasn't ready to give up on Heather's charms just yet.

I gave him a sexy smile and wiggled my eyebrows. "Well, there's something in your portfolio I need to discuss with you."

He smiled at Heather and then looked over at me. "I'll be up soon."

I looked at Heather and felt a pang of jealousy. She was very sexy and very young looking, although in real years, she'd be about thirty-two. She had been turned about six years ago when she was vacationing in Bermuda. I said a brusque goodnight and went upstairs, dressed in my long, plain cotton night gown and falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Greg slipped into bed an hour later and proceeded to slide his hand down between my legs, waking me. I pulled his hand away, not feeling very romantic in light of his drooling over Heather. He pushed his hand back. I jumped out of bed, my fists on my hips and jaw clenched.

"I'm not in the mood, so please don't think you can force me to have sex."

"Force you? I'm perfectly capable of finding a piece of ass if I want sex. I just thought you might like some-some."

"No, thank you. Can we go to sleep now?"

"Well, excuse me." He said sarcastically.

I climbed in bed and we turned our backs to each other, both sleeping on our respective sides of the bed. I woke up at noon and discovered Greg sprawled in the middle of the bed with me hanging on for dear life at the edge. I climbed out of bed, showered and dressed. Walking down the hall, I soon discovered that we had two rooms of mortal guests, although I didn't know any of them. I wasn't in the mood for company so I fell into an ill humor, pouting as I ate my breakfast on the veranda under the portico, out of the sun.

Around two pm, Greg made his debut-- in his boxers and sunglasses, scratching his package and yawning as he surveyed the view of the lake.

"You're mad at me for something. Either get it out of your system or get over yourself." He grabbed the cushioned chair and sat down, still looking at the lake.

"I'm mad because you paid more attention to Heather last night than me, including staying up an hour with her rather than come up to bed with me."

"_I offered you sex!" _He yelled, leaning out of his chair to make his point.

"After I'd been asleep for an hour." I responded coldly, pretending to still be reading my Italian Elle.

"Besides, I wasn't with Heather. Your Queen came out to the veranda and ordered me to take a walk with her. And, by the way, she came onto me, but I turned her down."

"Why? You obviously wanted sex last night with anyone but me."

"_I offered you sex!"_

"Yeah, right, like it was a favor."

Teresa came out to ask what Greg wanted for lunch. Several of our 'guests' joined us on the veranda so I decided to table the conversation, but Greg didn't.

"Okay, I admit it; I wasn't all that excited last night about screwing the ice queen that was in my bed when there had been some sweet pieces thrown in my face." His voice was filled with a meanness that only Greg's voice could achieve. "Face it, you weren't that appealing dressed in a granny night gown and rolled up in the bedsheets. Compared to Heather, you looked like Roseanne Barr on a bad day, but hey, I figured you might need a pity fuck, so I offered. You should be grateful, anyone else would have preferred screwing a rubber doll."

Eyebrows went up all around the table as I pushed back from the table bright red. My retractiles slipped down and my lips pulled back. The guests froze in their chairs. I felt a strong feeling of amusement coming from him. I knew then that if I was feeling his amusement, he must be feeling my anger and yet he was still amused, not worried. His amusement just made me angrier.

I took my plate into the kitchen and grabbed the edge of the counter, holding onto it until I could retract my retractiles. He came to the kitchen doorway and leaned against the jamb, crossing his legs at his ankles and his arms across his chest he laughed at me.

"Do your fangs always slip down when you're mad?"

"No, just when I'm so angry I can't control them."

"You're that mad at me?"

"Greg, those people out there are my father's guests. He would be mortified if he had heard what you just said to me in front of them."

"Oh that? They loved it; now they have something to gossip about."

"So you found Heather more attractive than me?" I said in an accusatory tone.

He looked at me sideways. "Yes, I did last night."

I clenched my jaw. Surprisingly, I felt both anger and hurt. Again, I figured he could probably feel me because the emotions were so strong.

He unfolded his arms and stood up straight. He dropped his voice and said gently, "Come on. You're jealous, but I could have tapped her last night and I didn't. Doesn't that count for something?"

_Why do I feel so jealous? Why do I worry? Is it because Caleb cheated on me? _

I calmed down.

"She did suggest a threesome if you're up for it." He said.

My retractiles slipped down again. "You'd really do a threesome?"

"Not with your fangs exposed like that. Obviously, the correct answer is 'no'."

"I'm going out; I don't care who you screw. Go for it."

"Yeah, easy to say...everyone's asleep."

"Fine. I need to visit my friend in Sorrento; I'll be home around three in the morning. Considering how fast you come, I figure you could have dozens of pity fucks tonight before I get back."

"And this friend of yours, do they have dangly bits between their legs?"

"As a matter of fact, he does." I didn't tell him that the vampire I was visiting, Walter Smythe, was my father's mentor, a vampire who had been turned centuries before my father at the age of seventy. He had convinced his daughter, a vampire, to turn him when he discovered that he was terminally ill. Sadly, two years later she was exposed to light by the Guardians, causing Walter to withdraw to his little villa in Sorrento. He had always treated me like the daughter he had lost. I hadn't seen him for awhile and missed him.

"Okay. Maybe a day off would be good for us." He said.

"Maybe we need to rethink, 'us'." I countered, trying to drive home how hurt I was.

Now I could feel his anger, "Yeah, maybe we should."

Teresa came into the kitchen, took one look at us and started to leave.

Greg yelled at her, "Teresa, bring me a whiskey, single malt."

"Portargli un bicchiere di whisky, per favore." I translated.

She hurried off to get him one and to get out of the line of fire.

I swallowed and looked down, afraid that if I saw anger in his eyes, I'd respond with even more anger. I didn't want that. I wanted us to cool down, spend some time apart and then maybe we'd both be in a better mood.

"Fine, I'm going up to get ready. I'll see you in the morning when I get home."

"Great. Maybe you'll learn some new positions. Besides, Sophia invited me over for dinner tonight for a little fun. I think I'll take her up on it."

"Oh, well, bully for you. Just remember, if you have sex with her she's going to expect you to offer up your neck and your delectable AB blood. She'll take a pint as payment." I hissed before turning and running upstairs to dress. Storming out of the villa a few minutes later, I left without saying goodbye.

**Dear Readers, Sorry about today. I tried to upload the document four times and Fanfic was having trouble. Thanks so much for leaving reviews, they really encourage me to keep writing. Thanks, Kim**


	18. Chapter 15 Part II

**Chapter 15 Part II**

**Release**

The drive to Sorrento was long and tedious due to the tourist traffic. I finally arrived at Walter's bungalow around four in the afternoon. Walter was still asleep in the cellar and wouldn't be up for hours, so his servant showed me into his living room. I decided to go down to the town and have some tea and think. Sorrento sits on cliffs overlooking the azure waters of the Mediterranean and the rocky island of Capri. I watched the tourists swim off of the pier below me. It was nice to be out in a crowd of people, all with their own problems and needs. I saw a little girl with a shaved head. Her body was rail thin and her parents were pushing her in a wheelchair. They were obviously tourists and, as a doctor, I could tell the little girl was very sick. I suspected that this trip was an attempt to give her an experience before she died. It hit me hard; my problem with Greg was so insignificant compared to what this family was going through. Why was I worried about his infatuation with a pretty woman? After all, he was right, he had been faithful.

I went back to Walter's just after eight, knowing he would be up and ready to eat. We took our meal out on his balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was beyond beautiful. We sat silently, enjoying the view and the cool evening breeze. He asked me what was wrong. I told him what had happened and he laughed at me.

"You are a fool. You have to get over what Caleb did to you and start to trust again. I'm not saying that this mortal can be trusted, but you have to trust people until they give you a reason not to trust. If you don't, you go through life bitter and angry...and lonely. Princess, you should be with him."

"Oh Walter, I've been around for decades and I still don't understand humans."

"When you do, it will be time for a stake through the heart." He said, patting my hand with the love of a grandfather.

I started home at eleven, excited to get back and see Greg. I felt refreshed, the cobwebs cleared. In my head I started planning what I would do and say when I got to the villa. As I got closer, I became more anxious, honking at any slow moving vehicles, getting out to shew the cows to the side of the road. Without the tourist traffic, I made it home in just two hours. I parked the car and ran up the cobble drive, pushing through the door to find him, hug him, kiss him. I'd tell him that I was sorry, that not sleeping with Heather did matter and that I should have more faith in him. When I rushed in, I found Caleb and Daddy on the veranda talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company. It was as if they had never had an argument and the forty years of bickering had been a blimp on the path of life (or death?)

"Hi."

"Acushla, I'm glad you're home. How was Walter?"

"Wise as usual. I need to talk to Greg, where is he?"

They looked at each other and immediately I knew something was up.

"Daddy, where is he?"

He looked down at his shoes. "He's still over at Sophia's villa. We came back at midnight, but she asked him to stay."

"Oh, well, I'll take the sailboat and sail over; I need to talk to him."

Caleb stood up and crossed the room, grabbed my hands and smiled. "I don't think you should go over there. Your father and I were going to go into Montanella to meet friends for a drink. Why don't you join us? We'll have a snack, maybe dance a little, you'll have fun."

"No, you go ahead. I'll wait for Greg."

My father rubbed his forehead. "Acushla, Greg was very drunk. He may have to stay over and sober up. Come with us. Penelope is in town, I'm sure she'd love to see you."

"No, Daddy. Go ahead, I'll stay here." I was beginning to worry about Greg, not sure if he was alright. I knew no one would feed off of him because my father had promised him protection, but that didn't mean they couldn't play with him. Vampires, the inhumane ones, often liked to play with humans, making them believe that they would be killed or turned, just to experience the power of being immortal and superior in strength.

Caleb and my father left and I went out to the balcony to see if there were any lights on at Sophia's villa. There were some lights, but not as many as usual. I went down to the dock to unlatch the sailboat when I saw a motorboat coming my way. It was Sophia's servant bringing Greg back.

I waited at the dock and helped the servant unload Greg who was definitely drunk. After saying thank you to the servant, I put Greg's arm around my shoulder and we lumbered back to the balcony where he fell onto the chaise.

"Hi." He said smiling up. "I thought you were going to stay until four this morning."

I sat down on the chair next to the chaise. "I was, but I realized what a fool I was this morning and that I should be here with you."

Greg grinned, "Brilliant deduction, Watson. I'm (hic) glad you came to your senses."

I smiled and nodded.

On the little side table was a half finished drink of whiskey. Greg reached over with his right arm, exposing the right side of his long sinewy neck. I felt my stomach buck and my heart clench, beads of sweat formed on my forehead. The two small punctures were almost completely healed, but they were there. They were there.

A small cry escaped my lips causing Greg to stop, look up and saw that I was looking at his neck. He adjusted the collar on his shirt to hide it, but the move was so obvious it only reinforced what I knew. I was dizzy. All the disappointment and pain I had felt over Caleb came rushing back tenfold. I was reliving my worst nightmare.

I stood up, my knees wobbly, my voice tight. "You screwed Sophia. _You had sex with her_."

Greg tried to get to his feet, but was having difficulty maneuvering. "Kiara, I...she."

The tears were pouring down.

"Ah crap, it didn't mean anything. I thought you were down having sex with this Walter guy. I just found out from Sophia that he's seventy...okay, maybe a lot older than that, but looks seventy."

Stunned, I just stood shaking my head and crying.

He reached out and grabbed my hand. "It didn't mean anything to me."

"It never means anything to men. But, it means the world to me."

I ran through the doors and found the keys to one of the cars. He was trying to chase me, but was bouncing off furniture, breaking valuable china and statues as he careened from side to side.

"Don't run like that, I'm a little weak and a lot drunk. Come back and talk to me."

I ignored him, running to the car and starting it. I almost hit him by accident when he stepped into the middle of the drive. I swerved when I caught him in my headlamps, waving and yelling. I made a sharp move and managed to race by him, driving as fast as I could to Sophia's. I was going to let her have it even if it meant I would be censured or staked.

Banging on her door, it was finally answered by a vampire that I didn't know. She informed me that Sophia had just left for Montanella. I went back to my car and sat in the driver's seat, trying to think through what I should do. Confronting Sophia would make no difference. She was the queen and he was an adult, he could have said no. I decided to go back to the villa and think through my next move.

Greg had passed out in our bed. I pulled his shoes off and then crawled into bed, running the scenario over and over in my head. I realized that even though Greg had been unfaithful, I had deceived him in the first place. The feelings he had, the guilt he was feeling, were all based on this unnatural bond between us. I had built a relationship on a lie. It was time that I stopped lying to myself and to Greg.

I dressed and drove back down to Sophia's, this time in control of my emotions. It was almost dawn so I knew she'd be home. Coming into the living room dressed in a long Indian caftan, she had a strange expression on her face. It was a mixture of curiosity and guilt.

"I hadn't expected to see you, Princess. I was about to go to bed, can I do something for you, darling?"

"Cut the crap Sophia, I know what you did. I'm not here to talk about that, although someday we're going to discuss it. I came to ask you to give me the address of the closest bana-bhuidseach."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you need a witch?"

"I need a potion to break the bond between Greg and me."

"Kiara, don't do this. Greg's indiscretion was all my fault. I took advantage of his inebriation and anger with you to get him into bed. That AB blood was so enticing, how could I resist?"

"It wasn't _all_ your fault. Greg wanted to hurt me and he did. We all acted like teenagers in a two-bit drama. But, I've decided that it's time for me to come clean with Greg, explain why he thinks he's in love with me and let him go."

"But Kiara, he _thinks _he's in love with you. Isn't that the same as being in love with you?"

"Maybe in your book, but not in mine. I'd like him to love me because he finds something in me that he's never found in anyone else."

"Oh, stop being so romantic. You had that with Caleb and the story still ended the same way. Although, I have to admit, Caleb would take you back if you waved your little pinky at him."

"Are you going to help me?"

"Leone, she lives in Leone, on Via Scarpetti, the last house. Her name is Carmen. She's very good, but very expensive. Well, I'm going to bed, good luck Kiara, but if I were you and I had a lover like Greg, I'd forgive him and let him go on believing he loves you."

The mention of Greg as a lover was intended to remind me of her power. It did and it took everything in me not to reach out and tear that gorgeous hair from her head. I nodded and left, driving down the mountain to Leone, a small town along the motorway that radiates out of Naples into the mountains. I found the house, a run down two story sandstone house. Knocking on the wood door, I stood in the pale morning light and waited, aware that she was probably asleep.

After several minutes of furious knocking, a middle aged woman opened the door. I immediately sensed that she was the witch from her demeanor although you'd never guess it from her dress. She wore a gray polyester sweatsuit with a red stripe up the side of the pants. Her hair was a mussed tangle of dark curls and her eyes were hazel, the true sign of a witch.

"Come in. Sophia called and told me you were on your way. You need a potion to break the bond between a vampire and a human, right?" She opened the door and let me into the small entryway out of the sun.

"Yes, do you have one?" We spoke in Italian although she would occasionally throw in English words.

"Not this moment, but I can have it for you by noon. I have to go into Naples and get some of the ingredients."

"How much?"

"Twenty-five thousand Euros and that's a discount because of your father's position."

"Twenty-five thousand!" I took a deep breath and scratched my head. I'd have to borrow it from my father.

"But, why do you want to break this bond?" She said, motioning me to take a wood slat chair in her small mustard colored kitchen.

"Because, he deserves to be free to love someone without artificial ties."

She tilted her head and knitted her brows. "But what about the baby?"

"_Baby?_ What baby?"

"Your baby."

I started laughing. "I'm sorry, but I'm a vampire and he's mortal. We can't procreate."

"Who said?"

I was flustered and perturbed, "It just doesn't happen!"

"To dead Vampires. But, you're alive. You do have a menses, right?"

"Occasionally, it's erratic as hell."

"Where there's a menses, there's an egg. I'm sometimes wrong, but you give off the aura of a pregnant woman."

I assured her I wasn't and got up to leave. She grabbed my arm.

"If you are pregnant, you must be careful. Most live vampires die in childbirth."

"There have been others?"

"I've known three that have been pregnant; they're few and far apart. Two of them died. The third lost the child in childbirth and she slipped into a coma. She never came out of it."

"What about the babies of the two that died?"

"They survived."

"Without their mother?"

"Yes."

"Were they vampires?"

"That's a good question. They were both different. One needed blood to live, the other didn't."

"What killed the mothers?"

"The mixture of the fluids of the baby with their own. Their bodies reacted as if there was an infection. I'm not sure what they call it."

"Cytokine storm." I murmured.

"Excuse me?"

"It doesn't matter. The children that lived, what happened to them?"

"One, a girl, died a few months after her birth in Bagnoli Irpino. She was born without any antibodies to the usual diseases. The other lived to be one hundred and thirty-five. I met him a few years before he died."

It would make sense. Viruses and bacteria didn't affect me so I had no need to develop antibodies to pass along to a child. Most babies are born with some resistance to viruses and bacterial infections because of their mother's antibodies. Without them, the baby would be susceptible to all diseases and could conceivably die of the common cold.

"I have to go." I jumped up and practically ran to my car wondering if the witch was right. _What if I'm pregnant? What if Greg is the father? What then? _I knew that it was vital that I let him go immediately. If I didn't let him go now, I knew I wouldn't be able to do it if I was pregnant.

I made my way to the basement and then to my father's room. Opening the lid of his coffin, I was shocked to find Penelope in it with him. I knew he liked to flirt with her, but the shock of seeing them both naked, her leg covering his privates was a jolt to my senses.

I grabbed my Dad's shoe and nudged him with it. Taking a deep breath , I stepped back a little, knowing what was going to happen as soon as I woke them. Because it was day, they would automatically think that my intrusion was an attack by Guardians. I was right. Their eyes shot open and their retractiles dropped. Sitting straight up, they both bared their teeth at me and snarled. Immediately realizing that I was not a Guardian, their retractiles retracted and Penelope covered herself.

"_Kiara! What is the meaning of this? What could be so urgent that you woke me in daylight?"_ I could hear the anger in his voice, an anger that I hadn't heard since I was a teenager.

"Daddy, I desperately need money. I need Twenty-five thousand Euros."

He pulled his head back and blinked. "For what?"

I could tell it wasn't the amount that bothered him. Twenty-five thousand Euros was nothing to him. It was the fact that I was asking for money in the middle of the day.

"Are you in trouble?"

"Please, just don't ask. I'll tell you later. I can't access that amount here in Italy, but I can pay you back later. Please?" I smiled at Penelope, "Hi Penny, good to see you."

Penelope smiled, "You too. Will we see you tonight?"

"Sure." I turned back to Daddy. "Well, Daddy?"

"You know the combination to my safe, take whatever you need."

I blew him a kiss and waved goodbye, running up to retrieve the money. I checked in on Greg and found him asleep. I figured he'd probably sleep until the late afternoon. Around eleven I drove back to Leone. The witch was true to her word and had the potion ready. I handed her the envelope of money.

"Will it hurt him?"

"He'll feel a little nauseated and lightheaded, but that will pass within a few minutes. The effect will be immediate, the bond will be severed. But, before you give it to him, you have to add at least ten drops of your blood before it will work."

I nodded and left with the small bottle that would change my life.

When I got home, the house was quiet. Teresa was out buying groceries, the other servants were working on the boat and the rest (the vampire servants) were asleep. It was almost five when I heard the shower upstairs. Greg was awake. I started to sweat and my heart began fluttering making me think I was going to pass out.

He stuck his head tentatively into the library. "Oh, there you are. Is there any way to get a cup of Cappuccino?" His beard was thicker than usual, there was a road map on the whites of his eyes.

I got up and went into the kitchen, making him a cup of very strong Cappuccino since it sure looked like he needed it. Turning, I took the seat across from him at the table.

"Greg, we need to talk."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I figured that. Look, I know I blew it last night. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but if you could see your way.--"

"I forgive you. I'll never forget it, but I forgive you. Trust is whole other issue, but it may be a moot point after what I have to say to you."

He looked really nervous, his body tensed and the blood drained from his face. "Wait! Before you say anything I want you to know that I love you. I don't know if that will make a difference or not, but I thought you should know. I should have told you, but I was a coward."

It was like an arrow through my heart. The words I had wanted to hear were being uttered and all I could do was nod. My lower lip began to tremble and deeps sobs escaped from my mouth. I had wanted to conduct this without a lot of emotional fanfare, but I was crying for the relationship that was sitting before me, but was about to be obliterated with the truth.

"Greg, you don't love me—"

"I do! I know I'm an asshole and it's hard to believe I could love anyone, but I've been in love with you since our first night together. You have to—"

"I do believe you. I believe that you think you love me. But, I have to tell you the truth. You feel this way because the night you followed me, I drank some of your blood and then on New Year's Eve you drank some of mine. When a vampire and a mortal drink each other's blood it develops a bond, a very strong bond. At first you're sexually attracted to the vampire and the mortal feels an overwhelming desire to have sex with the vampire. That wanes and then the bond becomes something more spiritual akin to love. There's also an emotional connection--you can feel my strong emotions, I can feel yours. More important, if I leave the geographical area that you're in then you have an overwhelming need to follow me. You see, I left Princeton and I bet you felt antsy, like you had to find me, be near me."

I could see that this was registering with him, that he knew I was telling the truth.

He wiped his mouth and then looked up. "You've known this and didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know what form the bond would take, it's stronger in some than others. When you showed up in London I still wasn't sure. You told me it was a fluke that you were even there, that Wilson had broken his leg. But then you followed me here and I wanted to tell you but I kept telling myself that you really did care about me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry it went this far." I hung my head and leaned back in my chair.

There was silence as he looked out the window. I waited; every second feeling like a pin prick. Finally he turned and shook his head in disgust.

"Now what? I go through life following you around the world like a puppy dog?"

I pulled the vial from my pocket and pulled a clean cup from the stand behind me on the counter. I poured the vial into the cup and then took a knife from the drawer. I cut a small slit in my wrist and let it drop into the cup. Greg watched closely. I stirred it and handed it to him.

"Drink that and you'll be free of me."

"I'm not going to drink that; I don't even know what it is."

"It's a cure, it reacts with the chemicals that binds us and breaks it down. You'll feel queasy for a few minutes, maybe a little light headed, but it will soon pass."

He contemplated whether or not he should take it. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I care enough to let you go. I don't want your love to be based on a chemical reaction."

"All love is based on a chemical reaction."

I exhaled heavily, "Yes, I know, but you know what I mean. I didn't want your love to be based on _this_ chemical reaction. Look, just drink it and you can go home. You won't feel a need to be near me anymore."

I saw the cup raised and touch his perfect lips. The liquid slid down his throat and then he slowly put the cup down peering at me with a cold look. A minute later he made a face as if he were sick. He bent over slightly, grabbing his stomach. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"You won't. Just wait and you'll be fine. Oh, I booked a flight for you back to Princeton, first class, leaving from Naples at eight tonight. You just have to pack and a car will pick you up. My treat."

"You really think I'm going to want to leave?"

I nodded. "Your feelings for me are going to change dramatically in a minute.

He was sweating a little, but within a few minutes he took a deep breath and nodded. "Wow, I feel like a cotton wad has been removed from my brain."

I felt like crying again. "Good. I'm glad. Now you can go back to Princeton a free man."

He looked at me, "You know, it was fun while it lasted. You're pretty good in the sack."

"Thanks. You're a real challenge, but a fun one. I hope you find someone, maybe you and Lana can have a real relationship now that I'm out of the picture."

He shrugged his shoulders and nodded at the possibility. "I better go pack."

"Do you need any help?" I said, my heart still stuck in my throat.

"Nah, I've got it. Thanks."

Half an hour later the car pulled into the drive and I watched as he brought his bags down the stairs. Sitting them down on the floor, the driver picked them up and took them to the car while we said our goodbyes.

"Have a safe journey, Greg."

"When are you coming back?"

I shook my head. "I don't really know. I need to do some thinking."

He didn't smile, he just shrugged his shoulders. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, take care."

I thought he might give me a little kiss, but instead his head bobbed, unsure of what he should do. He walked to the car, only looking back over his shoulder once. I waved and then watched as the car drove away with him in the back. My heart twisted inside out.

"Where's Greg?" Caleb asked as he sat the female donor on his lap and bent her back.

"He had to go back to Princeton." I tried to say it without emotion, but there was a hitch in my foice.

Caleb looked at me over the shoulder of the female as he fed. When he was done he wagged a finger at me. "He wouldn't go back to Princeton with you still here. The bond would be too strong."

"There is no bond."

"What do you mean?"

"I paid a witch to give me a potion to break the bond."

He pushed the donor off his lap and stood up. "What? You did? Why?"

"I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't live the lie. Do you understand? I wanted him to love _me._ The bond wasn't love, it was just chains. Chains around his neck."

Caleb came over, putting his arms around me and rubbing my back gently. The feel of his thin but muscular body was reassuring. I felt safe and loved and it hurt that it wasn't Greg that was holding me.

"Acushla, what can I do?"

I shook my head, tears wetting his blue shirt. "Nothing. There's nothing anyone can do."

"It breaks my heart to see you like this."

"I need to sit down, I feel a little dizzy."

He guided me over to a sofa and sat me down. "You're sure this potion worked?"

"He said it felt as if a cotton wad had been removed from his head. This witch knows what she's doing."

"Carmen?"

I nodded.

"She's one of the best."

"Is that true? Because she told me something truly bizarre."

"What?"

"She said I was pregnant."

"_Pregnant?" _The look on Caleb's face was priceless. He fell back into the stuffed chair next to the sofa. "Christ, Christ! Is it true?"

"How would I know?"

"Missed periods, sensitive breasts, etc. I know you have periods, but I thought they were erratic, difficult to track."

"They still are."

"You don't remember when you had sex?"

"Of course I do. New Year's Eve—"

"Well, you'd be showing if you got pregnant then."

"And since I've been here."

Caleb shifted towards me, "You mean she thinks you're a few days pregnant?"

"I guess. That's absurd isn't it?" I asked, hoping he would agree.

He slumped a little. "I don't know. Carmen has a gift. Assuming she's right, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to have it?"

"The baby?"

"What baby?" My father's voice boomed across the room.

I turned white.

Caleb looked at me to see if I was going to confess, but I couldn't. He cleared his throat. "Carmen, the bana-bhuidseach in Leone, told Kiara that she's pregnant."

My father chuckled. "Pregnant?" He sat down on the sofa and then began to laugh. "She's a vampire. Vampires are sterile."

Caleb swallowed hard. "Kiara menstruates."

My father was both embarrassed and horrified by the information. Turning to me, his creamy skin blanched, "Do you?"

"Sometimes. It's not very frequent, but yes. Maybe three or four times a year."

Standing up he sputtered, "_Are you pregnant?"_

"I don't know Daddy. If I am, it's just a few days."

Looking around he barked out, "Where's Dr. House?"

"Daddy, he's gone."

"You told him and he ran out on you?" My father paced a few feet and then turned, his face now bursting with anger.

"No! I didn't tell him about possibly being pregnant. I purchased the potion to break the bond from Carmen and that's when she told me about this pregnancy thing."

"But vampires having babies? I've never heard of it!" Daddy was pacing.

"I have." Caleb said. "I remember one live vampire that was pregnant."

"Where's the child, the vampire? Why haven't I heard about it?"

Caleb closed his mouth tight, refusing to answer.

I turned to face Caleb. "Because she died. Most of the vampires die carrying the baby because of the cross-contamination of the body fluids. The babies who survive have no immunity, so they frequently die in the first few months."

I'd never seen my father afraid, but he was frozen with it. He could hardly talk. "Acushla, you have to have an abortion. I can't lose you."

"Daddy, we don't even know if I'm pregnant. We still have time."

"No, if there's a pill you can take or something, do it now."

I shook my head. "I need to think this through."

"_No! As your King I order you to have an abortion—now!"_

I stood up and clenched my fist. "No. I refuse to. At least I refuse to do it now. I want time to think it through."

My father folded, looking older than I'd ever seen him. "Acushla, please, for me. I can't lose you. I can't. I'm not ready."

I went over and hugged him. "Daddy, I have no plans of dying."

He held me tighter than ever and I could tell that if I pushed away, he'd probably have tears in his eyes. I waited until he was ready to let go.

"So Greg House is gone?" Daddy asked.

"I booked him a flight back to Princeton."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Daddy. But, I don't think I can go back to Princeton. At least not yet. I'm not ready to deal with him, especially if I'm pregnant."

Caleb leaned forward in the chair and opened his hands. "Come to London. You can stay in our old house; I'll stay in the flat. I can take care of you."

"I'd feel better if you were with me. But if you can't be in Princeton, then I'd like for you to be someplace where I know you'll have someone to help you if you need it." My father said, petting my hair and kissing my forehead.

"But I have my work." I mumbled.

Caleb countered, "You told me that you were just starting your new research. They can get someone to take your place. And, you could come on staff with me at St. Barts. We could do research there. I'll fund it."

"Alright you two. Enough pressure, I need to think this through. Besides, you forget that Chakra is at your house Daddy."

Caleb came over and put his arm around my shoulder. "I'll have the house staff send her to England."

"No, she'd have to go through quarantine." I protested.

"I will take care of your cat. That should be the least of your worries." My father assured me.

We spent the day together, talking occasionally about the possibility of me being pregnant. We all vacillated between the hazards of it and the delights of having a child in our family. Very few Vampire sects had children and the children that were in the sect were dead vampires, some centuries old. This would be a real child, a child that would grow up and require our parenting. We all fell silent, realizing what a gift this would be if we could both survive the pregnancy.


	19. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Back Home**

James Wilson waited on crutches at the elevator next to the baggage claim for House to appear. Startled, he whipped around when he heard House's voice behind him. He was surprised to see House standing without a cane supporting him.

"Where's the wheelchair?" Wilson asked.

Typically House was wheeled off the plane in a wheelchair. "Damn—" He pretended to look behind him, "I knew there was something missing."

"Come on, what's up? No cane, no wheelchair? It's that much better?"

"I get a twinge now and then, sometimes a deep ache, but nothing like before." House looked at his leg in a cast and asked, "How did you get here?"

"Chase is parking the car."

"You mean he was able to get his nose out of Cameron's business to come with you?"

"He volunteered. How did the paper go over?"

"Okay."

"I've gotten hundreds of emails asking for my workup and telling me how much they enjoyed your presentation."

"Face it; I'm the rock star of the rubber chicken circuit."

"So you went on vacation with Kiara?"

"I spent some quality time with her and her family in Italy. Of course, I didn't see much of Italy; she wouldn't let me out of her bed. I rocked her world too."

"Great. Lana's been asking about you and now you're sleeping with Kiara?"

"I'm just a stud muffin, what can I say?" The baggage carousel started up. "Was Lana really asking for me?"

"She said something like she missed you. Of course, I think it's probably sunspots, but that's what she said. Are you going to call her?"

"Later. I need a drink, it's been a long flight and they ran out of single malt. I had to drink blended." He gave Wilson a stage shudder.

"So, it's over with Kiara?"

House shrugged.

With Chase behind the wheel, they drove the forty-five minutes from Newark to Princeton, where Chase let House off at the curb and took Wilson home.

He waited a few days before wandering down to Lana's office.

She looked up, smiled and came around the desk to give him a kiss. "Welcome home. I really missed you. I'm sorry for the way I acted before you left."

"Nothing to be sorry for; I deserved it."

She kissed him again and again and then one thing led to another and House found himself having sex with Lana on her office sofa. Satisfying and spent, House had to admit Lana wasn't bad in bed, especially since it was the first time Kiara's face or body didn't pop up in the middle of it. The spell was broken.

House was reviewing a patient's MRI when Lisa Cuddy strutted in. Just from the strut House could tell that she was ticked off. Distracted at first by the tight skirt and low-cut blouse, House finally looked up into her eyes and knew he was in deep doo-doo.

"Okay, now what did I do?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

"I just received an email from Kiara resigning her position. Any idea why she would do this?"

He gave her a mock look of shock, "You think I know what goes on in that woman's head?"

Crossing her arms over her breasts, Cuddy narrowed her blue eyes and leaned in. "Gee, funny how she goes to Europe, you go to Europe, the two of you spend time together, you return and a week later I'm short one moneymaker."

"Don't you already have the grant secured?"

"Yes, but without Kiara I doubt we can look forward to more in the future."

"Why did she quit?"

"She doesn't say. She just wrote that her staff can handle the latest project without her and I should promote Hadley Biltmore to her position. Her resignation is final in two weeks. But, she's taking the last two weeks in vacation so she won't be coming back."

"But her father lives here in Princeton?"

"Then why is she quitting?"

House turned his palm up, "I'm asking you!"

"Well, this hospital is going to miss her. I just hope you had nothing to do with this." She didn't bother to wait for a response, but stomped out into the hall and out of sight.

House sat back and thought about it. For some reason he wasn't surprised. He was fairly sure when he left Italy that she wouldn't be returning to PPTH. It was something in her eyes, a pain, a longing, the knowledge that she couldn't have what she wanted. It would be too painful and awkward between them if she returned, but to sacrifice her career? It seemed a drastic thing to do. Couples frequently break up but they don't typically quit their jobs to get away from the other person. Maybe it was because he knew her secret and she was afraid that he would use it against her. Knowing House as she did, she probably thought that he would make wise cracks and inferences. What she didn't know was that House had no intention of spilling the beans. After the attempt on her life in Bagnoli Irpino, he had no wish to advertise her secret. He cared enough about her to not put her in any danger.

A month later, House heard that her staff had boxed her things and shipped them to St. Barts in London where she was now working. A pang of jealousy flashed through him as he realized that she was probably with Caleb.

Images of her and their time together in Princeton and Italy plagued him for several months before finally fading into the din of everyday existence. Now, months later, he only thought of her when someone brought up her name, or a vampire movie came on the television or someone mentioned the Irish. He felt as if something was missing, not quite the void he felt before when she was gone, but it was a little tugging at his heart. He missed her. He knew he'd never quite be as alive as he was with her and her dead family and friends and that had left a cavity he couldn't fill.


	20. Chapter 17

**Dear Readers, I don't know why, but when I write, I put in marks to break up a chapter between scenes within the chapter. Unfortunately, those marks don't come through on FFIC when it gets posted. So if you're wondering why you jump from one scene to the other without warning, it's because the marks disappear when I post. I haven't gone through the whole story, but when I do review a chapter, I am trying to put spaces between the scenes and add in xxs and the word break. But, I just don't have time to go through the whole story. SORRY!**

**Chapter 17**

**The Unknown Country**

I wasn't sure that if I peed on the stick anything would show up since I wasn't really sure what happened when a Vampire got pregnant. I waited as long as I could but I had to pee so bad, I stuck the wand between my legs and let her rip. Putting the wand on the sink, I heard a commotion downstairs and the sound of heavy footsteps running up the steps.

"I'm here! I'm here! Sorry I'm late." Caleb walked through the bedroom into the bathroom and looked down at the stick. "You peed?"

I nodded, holding my breath.

"Kiara, you better breathe or you're going to pass out."

"I'm so nervous."

"I'm here. We'll get through this together." He reached out and held my hand as I sat on the rim of the tub waiting. Caleb was in his light gray trousers and pink striped shirt. It was tailored perfectly to match the lines of his body. He looked incredibly handsome. I smiled to myself at the difference between Greg and Caleb's style. Caleb noticed my smile and tilted his head as if to ask why I was smiling when the little timer I set went off. He looked down at the sink. I couldn't bring myself to look at the strip. I decided to watch his face. He turned whiter than normal and hesitated before leaning up against the counter for support. Looking into my eyes I could see that he was worried--extremely worried-- which is how I knew that the little wand said that I was with child.

"Caleb, why are you so surprised?"

"I guess I thought the odds were against you." He stood up and handed me the wand. "What are you going to do?"

I looked at the _Pregnant_ in the middle of the wand and then up at the blue of Caleb's eyes. "I'm going to beat the odds and have the baby—and I'm going to live."

Despite his silence, I could sense that Caleb wasn't comfortable with my decision. Like my father, he was worried that I would die in childbirth. I gazed up at him and wished with all my heart that I still loved him like I used to, but it wasn't there. I wasn't even sure I was still in love with Greg after his infidelity.

It was only three in the afternoon in Princeton so I knew my father would not be up yet. The hours seemed to go by so slowly that I was driving Caleb nuts with all my fidgeting. He finally suggested that we go for a walk in Hyde Park, which we did. The feel of the cool English night helped me calm down and by the time we got back to the house it was almost one in the morning. I rushed up the steps to the door and then to the phone, dialing my father in Princeton.

Denton answered so I asked about Chakra. I was informed that Chakra had taken to sleeping with Denton on top of his coffin and that they were doing just fine. He handed the phone over to my father who had just had dinner.

"Hello, Acushla, how are you and Caleb?"

"We're fine Daddy. I'm calling to let you know the results of the pregnancy test."

"Oh?"

"You're going to be a grandfather. Aren't you happy?" I tried to sound excited and upbeat. I wanted him to be happy for me.

There was a deafening silence and then a very solemn voice. "Kiara, I want you to have an abortion as soon as possible."

I sat down on the bottom step of the stairs and looked up at Caleb, frowning. "No Daddy, I can't do that. I'm going to have my baby and we're both going to survive. I'm a doctor and so is Caleb, we're going to figure it out."

"Kiara, _as your King_, I demand that you have an abortion."

"Daddy, you know that while I'm living in England I'm under the authority of Caleb. He's the only one who can order me to have an abortion or he can order me to return to Princeton or he can keep his mouth shut."

More silence and then he said, "Let me talk to Caleb."

My eyes went wide. I was fairly sure that Caleb wanted me to have an abortion too and might conspire with my father to force the issue. I put my hand over the receiver and whispered to Caleb.

"He wants to speak to you. I think he's going to ask you to order me to have an abortion."

Caleb winced and took the receiver. "Sean?" Caleb listened. "I agree that it's risky, but I can't force her to terminate the life of her child. Besides, we both know she wouldn't do it."

He was right; I'd flee to Italy and the safety of the very Catholic Sophia. I was actually shocked that my own father was suggesting I terminate my pregnancy against the dictates of the Catholic Church. But when it came to me, my father listened to no one but his own judgment.

Caleb was shaking his head. "Sean, I would do it if I thought she'd listen, but one thing I know--when Kiara makes up her mind, no one can get her to change it. I plan to spend all my free time on determining how to safely deliver the baby and keep them both alive." He listened to my father. "I know you're disappointed, but why don't you come over to England and we can all talk?" There was more silence. "Great, I look forward to seeing you. Now do you want to talk to your daughter?" He handed me the phone and rolled his eyes.

"Daddy?"

"It seems as if you have Caleb convinced that you can do this."

"I know I can. Caleb and I have excellent medical backgrounds and we're ready to make this happen. Daddy, just be happy, we're going to have a little baby in our family."

"I can't be happy knowing your life is in danger."

"Are you coming over?"

"Yes, I'll fly over next weekend and we can discuss it."

"Fine. I love you Daddy."

"I love you, Acushla."

When I hung up I went in search of Caleb who had gone downstairs to make some coffee. Looking up he smiled and shook his head. "I hate disappointing your father after we just managed to bury the hatchet."

I walked over and threw my arms around his waist. "I know. It seems as if I always come between the two of you."

"It's okay, I can take it." He kissed me lightly on the lips and then went back to making coffee. "I have an A positive coming over. You haven't fed in several weeks and you must keep up your strength."

"I suppose you're right. Have you eaten?"

He nodded. "A nice B positive."

The following weekend my father arrived and we began the first in a series of arguments about terminating my pregnancy. Caleb managed to respond to several supposed emergencies at work, keeping him out of my father's sites. The arguments continued by phone and in person over the next few weeks. Before long I actually dreaded conversations with my father. The fights escalated to the point that I didn't talk to my Dad for over a month. He finally flew to England when I refused to answer the phone. Caleb picked him up at Heathrow and drove him to the house.

Caleb was allegedly staying at the underground flat in central London, but, in fact, he spent most of his days in the basement of the house and his nights with me.

My father had purchased a coffin in London and had it delivered to the house when I first moved to England so that he didn't have to drag his all over the place. Most vampires prefer their own coffin, but some, like my father, will occasionally buy one and keep it in a location that they frequent. My father had one in Princeton, Ireland and now London. He traveled on night flights.

When night fell, I heard the two of them in the basement discussing something as when they first got up; I suspected it was about me, but I didn't listen. I went into the kitchen and started the coffee and tea. My father appeared in the kitchen first, walking over to me and stopping.

"Don't I get a kiss?" He asked.

"Not until you stop telling me to kill my baby. What would the Pope say?"

"Leave his Holiness out of this. We're talking about your health. Now turn around and let me look at you."

I turned and could see his face soften. I had put on several pounds and now looked pregnant which had a profound effect on my father. He swallowed and sat down without saying another word.

"Daddy?"

He put up a hand to quiet me. Then he nodded in defeat. "Okay, I promise not to talk about abortions anymore. It's too late anyway."

I smiled and went over to him, pulling his head to my tummy. I told him to listen. Vampires have keen senses and I knew that if I held still he could hear the wooshing of the baby's heart. He pulled pack and grinned. "It sounds too fast."

Caleb poured the tea. "That's normal."

"Have you two figured out how to save you and the baby?"

"We will." I said emphatically. I stopped and turned around feeling something like a flutter in my womb. "It may have been gas, but I think I just felt the quickening."

"Really?" Caleb asked as he walked over to me. I grabbed his hand and put it low on my belly where I had felt it. Shaking his head he smiled. "I'm not going to be able to feel it yet. Only you can feel it for the next month or so."

"I know. I just want you to know where it came from."

From then on out, my father was very excited at the prospect of being a grandfather. He talked about changing his trust to include his grandchild. He also hired a designer to decorate the bedroom across from mine at his Princeton manor. We spoke almost every day and I saw more of him than I had in years.

Caleb was the perfect gentleman, never suggesting we have sex except once around Guy Faulkes Day when he was drunk. I almost did; I wanted to. I love Caleb in a very special way and I have to admit, I was horny. But I knew it would send the wrong signal to him so I gently said no. He never brought it up again.

At the end of November I flew home to Princeton for Thanksgiving, but never strayed from the confines of my father's house or even thought about visiting PPTH. I inspected the plans for the nursery and approved them whole heartily, but Daddy refused to implement then until I had my next ultrasound. He knew that I would ask the sex and he wanted to incorporate that information into the final decorations.

Caleb and I stayed home for Christmas and New Year's although my father joined us for Christmas since he knows I celebrate it and even go to Midnight Mass. Surprisingly, I received only two gifts for the baby and the other twenty under the tree with my name on it were just for me. I gave Caleb a first edition of W.'s book on cricket. He was chuffed. My father explained that this would be the last Christmas for me to enjoy on my own because the next Christmas and the Christmases after that would be all about the baby. On New Year's we called my father and talked to all the revelers. I remembered the last New Year's Eve when Greg and I first had sex. I felt a twinge of yearning for him and wondered if he had thought of me. At midnight I gave Caleb a heartfelt kiss and thanked him for being a true friend.

Caleb served as my doctor for the first six months of my pregnancy, ordering all the tests that I needed. We contacted a vampire in Cambridge, Professor Thomas Gottschalk, an obstetrician that worked the night shift. He was ecstatic at the prospect of delivering a vampire, but like my father and Caleb, had his concerns about my ability to handle the delivery and whether the baby would survive the first few months without antibodies from me. He came up with a brilliant plan to hire new mothers who would freeze a pint of their milk every day until we had a two month's supply for my baby. I would feed the baby a pint of their milk every day, hopefully providing the necessary antibodies through their efforts.

We had several dinners with Thomas, discussing ways to prevent my body from attacking itself when my child's fluids mingled with mine during birth. We decided that the best way was to desensitize my body by introducing the baby's blood small amounts at a time until my body no longer reacted. This required watching on a sonogram while taking long needles to extract blood from the baby's umbilical cord and then injecting me with it.

While he did the procedure, Tom looked over at me with his light brown eyes that always seemed to be bright and happy. "I think this might work this time, but I doubt it's going to work the next time, so I wouldn't advise a second pregnancy. Kiara, do you want to know the sex of your baby?"

"Sure." I said giggling like a teenager.

Caleb laughed, "She's been waiting for seven months to find out. On her last sonogram the baby had its leg strategically placed and we couldn't see."

"You're having a girl."

My heart leapt into my throat. I suspect it would have leapt no matter what he said, but now that I actually knew it was a girl, it all seemed so real—I was going to be a mother!

"She's a very healthy young lady, about the length of a blackberry."

We all laughed.

Later when I told my father, he announced that the next time I came he would have the nursery ready. Since my due date was February 18th,, I wasn't going to see the nursery until after the baby was born.

On February 2nd, my water broke and I woke Caleb in the basement. It was two in the afternoon on a cold, cloudy, windy day. Luckily the sun was scheduled to set at four-thirty-five in London. Caleb climbed out of his coffin and called Addenbrookes from the basement to let Thomas know that we would be traveling up to Cambridge as soon as it was dark. We ate a light dinner downstairs and then we played some Whist until it was time to go.

My father had been awakened in Princeton and told that I was on my way to Cambridge to deliver the baby. By the time I arrived at Addenbrookes, I was dilated six centimeters and having my contractions four minutes apart.

Thomas greeted us at the door with a big smile. "Well are you ready?"

I nodded, "The pain is so intense. Is there anything you can give me?"

"We'll have just enough time to give you an epidural."

Caleb, looking haggard and frustrated mumbled, "Thank God for drugs. She's been screaming all the way up here."

Thomas pulled Caleb and I together and whispered, "When was the last time you fed?"

"Last week." I answered.

"You'll need all of your strength for tonight. I'm going to call in a donor."

Caleb and I both nodded in agreement. An hour later I fed off of a fifty year old male with O positive blood. Although my system probably had enough time to absorb enough blood to feed my hunger, I saw the looks of horror on the nurses' faces when fifteen minutes later I threw up. There was so much blood on the floor that they thought I must be hemorrhaging. Thank God Thomas was around. He shooed most of the staff out of the delivery room leaving Thomas and his nurse, Paula, also a vampire, to take care of me. They cleaned up the blood.

Thomas, standing in his green scrubs and looking very professional, put a hand on my thigh. "You're doing well Kiara, very well, but I'm going to give you something to speed it up because I'm afraid you may end up giving birth after the sun comes up if I don't get the ball rolling. Is that okay?"

I nodded, "Just give me the drugs."

The epidural was administered to my spine and then a few minutes later, the I.V. was administered carrying Oxytocin to induce labor. The pain of the contractions was a thing of the past. I only knew I was having a contraction when I saw the monitor peak.

Thomas stood in front of the monitor and watched the baby's heart beat next to the recording of my own. "You're looking good. I'm going to go take care of a few things and be back in an hour. Paula will page me if you go through transition."

Caleb was pacing and surfing the television, unable to calm down. I watched him and the monitor, waiting for the transition. During my pregnancy, Caleb, Thomas and I did research around the world on Live Vampire births and determined that my odds weren't good, but we had also determined that the problem with most live vampire births is the exchange of fluids between the mother and child at the time of delivery. We were all pleased, because it appeared that the desensitization injections had worked. I was still alive and healthy and so was the baby.

It was just before transition that things started to go bad. Caleb watched the monitor and turned to Paula, looking scared. "Paula, I think the baby is in distress. Her heartbeat has slowed quite a bit. I think we need Thomas."

Without batting an eye, Paula paged Thomas. Caleb and I watched the monitor as we held onto each other's hands as if by doing so we could make everything okay.

Barging through the door, Thomas immediately looked at the monitor and then at me. He spoke to Paula and adjusted the I.V. before coming back to the bed to address us.

"Well, since you're both doctors you can obviously see that we're concerned about the drop in her heartbeat. But, even in mortals that happens. It doesn't necessarily mean that we should do a C-section right away. I think you're about to hit transition—"

I threw up all over myself and onto Caleb's Armani shoes. It was blood, bile and stomach fluids. It meant one thing.

Thomas looked at Caleb, "She just hit transition. She's going to start pushing soon so I think we should try for a natural birth."

"But with a C-section you could have absolute control over everything." Caleb countered.

"A C-section would be harder on Kiara and I think she can do it."

Caleb shrugged and they both turned to me. I was about to say something when the monitor showed that I was in the middle of a very large contraction.

Paula called out, "Doctors, your discussion is moot, she's crowning."

Both Caleb and Thomas clamored to get to the bottom of the bed and see what was happening. Caleb looked up and gave me the widest grin I've ever seen.

He shook his head at me. "This baby isn't waiting for anyone. She takes after her mother."

"You're going to have to push." Thomas called out, his head down concentrating on my progress.

"How? I can't feel anything." The epidural had done its job, but I really couldn't feel my muscles so that I could contract them.

"Pretend like you're having the biggest shi+e in history." Thomas said without looking up.

I did as told when I was told and I heard Caleb gasp.

"Bloody hell, darling you did it. She's pink!"

Within minutes I was holding my daughter in my arms and crying my heart out. Caleb was tearing up along with Thomas and Paula. It was moving for all of us because it was the first birth in vampire history that had gone without major problems.

Thomas was rightfully pleased with himself, knowing that he was going to be the talk among all the vampires for having accomplished what no one thought could be accomplished. As he suctioned the fluids from her nose and weighed her, my precious daughter screamed like a banshee. I'd never heard such loud noises come out of such a small creature.

Thomas shook his head, laughed and asked me, "What are you going to name her?"

Screaming over her crying, I told him, "My father insisted on naming her since she is his grandaughter. She's going to be named, Riane."

"Ry-anne? How do you spell it?"

"R-i-a-n-e."

"What does it mean?"

Caleb chuckled, "In Gaelic it means, _little king."_

"How appropriate!" Thomas snickered. "Kiara, she's a little fighter, I'm having a hard time keeping her from rolling off the scales. And those lungs! She likes to make a lot of noise!"

"Well, that anti-social behavior would come from her father."

x x x x x x x x x xx breakx x x x x xx

"She's living in England and working at St. Bartholomews." Lana said as she sat in the little alcove of the small efficiency kitchen. Tired and hungry, Lana had put in a long day at the hospital. She eyed the company at the round pressboard table and sighed. Lana was tired of these midnight meetings, she needed some sleep.

"And she's pregnant?" Dieter asked Kevin, the young man that had replaced Herman Hirsch.

"No, not anymore. She had the baby, a girl." Kevin said as he poured himself another cup of tea from the Brown Betty teapot.

"_What? When?"_ The shock in Dieter's voice was palpable. Both Lana and Kevin sat up straight, alerted by Dieter's voice.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "I think a month ago."

"Who's keeping tabs on her?" Dieter asked.

"One of the Brits, I don't know which one. She's not their priority, her live-in lover is, this Caleb guy. It seems as if he's some big shot, a King or something."

Dieter rubbed his forehead, "Christ, don't the Brits know what this means? The fraking bloodsuckers have learned how to procreate without turning someone."

"But, how?" Lana asked.

"Maybe some genetic manipulation?" Kevin suggested.

"So, this Caleb is a king and Kiara is a princess and now they've created a child together. They're obviously trying to create a royal family. Why aren't the Brits doing something about that?" Dieter was pacing the small kitchen, running his hands through his hair and staring at his feet.

Kevin spoke up, "Well, they're going to take out Caleb soon. Won't that break up this—"

"That's the worst thing that they can do. They take out a king and all hell will break loose. It will start a war of a magnitude we've never seen before. We're not ready for that kind of warfare." Dieter sat down and took a deep breath. "We need to find out how they're procreating. We need to stop this and we need to get the Brits to face reality."

Kevin glanced at Lana, giving her a look that said he was afraid that Dieter was losing it. Lana shook her head to warn him not to say anything at this point. When they finally left a half hour later, Dieter had a plan, one which Lana felt strongly about.

The apartment door closed behind them. As they walked down to the parking lot, Kevin grabbed Lana's upper arm to stop her. "Dieter's crazy. How can we go through with this?"

"I think it makes perfect sense. He's right, if we take out a king, the entire vampire population will be allowed to hunt anyone with AB blood—and I doubt that they'll take a pint and walk away, they'll slaughter us. If we do it Dieter's way, we stop their bloodline and send a message to all vampires that we're not going to allow them to procreate."

"But, what do we do in the meantime, while we wait?"

"We plan, prepare and then we go back to killing vampires until the time comes to execute the plan." Lana said as she pushed the 'unlock' on her key fob.

"Well, I don't know if Dieter's going to be able to convince the Brits to back off. They're days away from execution."

"Dieter's very persuasive; if anyone can do it, he can. Goodnight, Kev."

Kevin held up a hand, "Lana, are you still dating that doctor?"

She nodded, "It's off and on. But, Dieter is still convinced that he knows something so I keep dating him, but I don't know... I can only tolerate him for weeks at a time and then I have to have a break."

"Better you than me. I don't think I could sleep with a vampire-lover."

Lana winced, "That's just it. I've tried everything to get him to talk about her and what he knows. I'm not convinced he knows she's a vampire. I'm hoping that Dieter lets me off the hook soon. I'd like to go out with someone a little more normal. I'm bushed, I'm going home to my bed."

"Yeah, these midnight meetings are taking their toll."

x x x x x x x x break x x x x x x x x x xx x x

"I am sorry darling, but we need to move you and the baby into my country manor. You're going to have to take a leave of absence from St. Barts." Caleb said, hanging up his coat.

"Excuse me? Why would I do that?" Kiara asked as she exposed her breast and let Riane feed.

"You're entitled to take six months off and I'm afraid you're going to have to do that. We have important intelligence that's just come through. Apparently, the Guardians have infiltrated St. Barts and have their eyes on you and me. The last word is that they have me in their cross-hairs and, as you Americans say, they're hunting for bear."

Kiara's face darkened. "You? Do they _know_ _who you are_?"

"Yes, it seems that's exactly what they want. They want to eliminate the King to throw the U.K. into chaos, hoping that there would be a political war over my successor. But, I'm more concerned for you and the baby. I have both human and vampire guards ready to beef up security at the manor in Sussex. We will be moving the two of you there tomorrow so you better pack."

Kiara knew that Caleb would never suggest the move if it wasn't serious. "I'll start packing. But, what about you?"

He grinned, "Oh, don't worry about me." He grabbed his keys, "I'll be out tonight."

"Caleb?"

"Yes, I'm going hunting. But, I'll be fine." He walked over, touched Riane's cheek and leaned down to kiss Kiara on the cheek. As he lifted up, Kiara grabbed his wrist to stop him.

He turned and smiled at her, "Yes?"

"Caleb, I don't know what to say. I can't tell you how much your support has meant to me. Without you, I..." She exhaled with the frustration of not being able to find the right words. "Oh, I wish I could give you what you deserve."

"Kiara, I know you still have feelings for Greg. But, the one thing I have on my side is time. I can wait. I will wait. I'll be here waiting." He said it and meant it.

That night Caleb was joined by ten of the most proficient hunters of his sect. They had discovered that the Guardians would be meeting in a cafe in Covent Garden, a perfect place to eliminate them without being seen. Sitting in his bedroom in his flat, Caleb felt sick to his stomach. It had been years since he had killed a mortal and the thought of killing a dozen of them in one night was daunting.

The plan was brilliant. The vampires had hired a short bus and paid for a Chunnel passage. They would pile the blood depleted bodies into the bus and take them into France where the French king had offered to have the bus driven off a high pass in the Alps at a place where numerous drivers of vehicles had met their fate over the years.

Walking out to the salon, Caleb couldn't help noticing the excitement in the room. There was hearty laughter, animated gestures and a definite buzz in the air. His vampires were more than ready to hunt down the Guardians. They had starved themselves to heighten their senses to the point where the smell of the AB blood of a Guardian would be as strong as if they were standing by a grill of hamburgers.

Caleb was disappointed, but refused to show it. He had hoped that they would be more introspective about what they were about to do, but they weren't. Despite his disappointment, Caleb couldn't be too upset; he remembered his days in the Roman Army when he didn't have the luxury of feeling any sentimentality when he went into battle. How things had changed.

"Are we ready?" Caleb yelled.

There was a cheer of "yes" from the group as they all stood to go into the night. Caleb nodded and in seconds they were gone. Turning to his longtime friend, Yantze, Caleb sighed. "I guess we should go. Do you want to take my Jaguar?"

"I'll drive. I have my BMW downstairs. I figure we'll take Soho Square. Most of the Guardians will make a run for the open spaces and that means Soho Square."

Caleb nodded.

They drove in silence until Yantze could take it no more. "Is it true that Kiara's baby is your daughter?"

Caleb pulled his head back and made a sharp sound. "Where did you hear that?"

Yantze shrugged, "Everywhere. The whole vampire world is buzzing with it. The idea that you, a vampire, had a child has rocked the vampire world."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Kiara's daughter is not mine."

There was an embarrassed silence. Yantze digested the information. "Caleb, do not tell anyone else that. As long as everyone thinks she's your daughter, the sect will die trying to protect her."

"But why my daughter? Her father's mortal, but we should be excited anyway. A live vampire actually had a child with a mortal. It's never been done successfully before."

_Werewolf in London _rang out from Caleb's inside coat pocket. He flipped the cell phone open. "Hello?" Caleb listened, put his hand over the receiver and then turned to Yantze, his eyebrows furrowed. "Grant says that they're not at the restaurant! There isn't a Guardian in sight." Caleb removed his hand, "Grant, I'll ring you back." Caleb hung up and sat silently, contemplating what this meant. "Oh, Jesus, Joseph and Mary!" He flipped the phone open and dialed as he screamed at Yantze, _"Turn the car around. My house, my house in Kensington. They're going after Kiara!"_

Yantze did a 180 degree turn and hit the gas while Caleb gave orders to Grant to have the vampires descend on the three story Georgian in Kensington.

Caleb immediately called the house and felt his stomach knot when it went to voice mail. "Christ, she's not picking up."

**Dear Readers, Thanks for reading. Every time I get a review it encourages me to continue writing and posting! Thanks.**


	21. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Prodigy**

My daughter is beautiful. Her little fists constantly wave in the air and her feet kick some unknown assailant when she gets excited. She's only three months old, but she's a strange combination of sweet and feisty. Her hair, what there is of it, is a light, sandy brown, her nose is all Irish like her grandfather's. But it is her eyes, those large eyes were such a deep blue that it hurts to look at them. I see Greg each time she tries to focus on me. I love her so much it takes my breath away whenever I pick her up.

My father was a new man. I hadn't seen him so excited in years. He was in London within twenty-four hours of Riane's birth cooing and making faces at her while she rested safely in his arms. He talked non-stop about her features, examined her tiny fingernails and wondered out loud if she needed blood to survive. I hadn't really thought about it because she had been so content with my breast milk and the bottle we gave her each day. I realized that if she did need blood, she probably needed it now.

To say I was torn was an understatement. Part of me hoped that she didn't need it, that she could exist in the mortal world without preying on humans. But part of me wanted her to share my heritage, her ancestry. Vampires were coming out of the wood work to have a look at her. The first month I had a dozen visitors a night just coming in to see what she looked like. She was like Our Lady of Fatima, vampires were making a pilgrimage to just see if she really existed.

The week after she came home, my father came into the nursery while I was feeding her. He sat across from me in the overstuffed chair as I rocked her in my arms and smiled his grandfather smile at us.

"Acushla, you know that you can't put it off." He said softly.

"But, Daddy, she seems healthy without it."

"I know my love, but you still have to do it."

I sighed and closed my eyes for a minute. "Alright, bring me a knife."

He produced one from his pocket, obviously anticipating that I would agree to do it. I took it, slit along my arm and let the blood ooze out. I held it to her lips and waited. The blood leaked into her mouth, but there was no attempt by her to drink, at least not at first. But, just as I was about to pull my arm away, she started to suck. I wasn't sure if it was a reaction to still being hungry for milk or for blood so I offered her the bottle and she started to cry. I gave her my arm and she calmed down.

My father leaned back in his chair as his lip curled up into a smile. My heart ached for my baby. She would be a slave forever to the Hunger. The question was just how much of an addict would she be? Would she need it each day? Each month? Or just when she felt like it? Tears started running down my cheek causing my father to stop smiling and lean forward.

"Acushla? You wanted her to be a mortal?"

"I wanted her to not be the half-breed that her mother is."

My father stood up and kneeled on one knee in front of me, looking up into my face. "I didn't know it bothered you so much."

"I was never quite trusted by vampires and I wasn't able to live like mortals. I was always in between two worlds. It wasn't easy growing up a live vampire."

"Caleb loves and trusts you."

"Oh, Daddy, I know. But, I just don't love him like I used to."

"I can see that. You still have feelings for your daughter's father, don't you?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure anymore. I just know that I'm in love with my daughter and right now she comes first."

"Your love for your daughter is something I truly believe, because I love her too. Now...can I hold her?"

My father had been gone for a week, promising to come back over to England in a month. I loved him, but I was glad to see him go so that I could get into a routine with Riane. I felt like I was all thumbs, not always sure what to do when she cried, worried if she was getting enough to eat, flustered if she sneezed. But I soon heard from other mothers that this was normal with the first child.

Caleb had informed me that Riane and I were moving to Sussex in the morning, so I spent most of the night packing. The phone rang while I was in the bathroom taking a shower. There was nothing that I could do about it; the call would have to go to voicemail. I toweled off, put on underwear and then dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a Pink Floyd t-shirt. My nursing bra was digging into my side, but it was my only clean one in the drawer which meant I was going to spend the night doing laundry.

Riane was a night sleeper, which made it hard on me. I wanted to sleep when she wanted to be awake. At first I did my best to accommodate her, but I was becoming lethargic from a lack of sleep and my disposition was so bad that Caleb finally insisted that I get help. I had to hire a mortal nanny to work from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon while I slept. Caleb would sleep over most days in the cellar, which he had designed for his personal comfort. The stairs led down to what would appear to as a normal cellar full of boxes, tools, an extra freezer, and a hot water heater. But, in the back was a mundane door that was slightly hidden from view. It led to a small hall with two very cushy rooms with plaster walls over the masonry foundation. They were each large enough to house two coffins comfortably. Decorated with the most beautiful lithographs of Rome, Caleb's room reminded me of a luxurious Roman villa. There was also a large bathroom and closet for Caleb's extensive wardrobe. For security and to keep out nosey mortals, the room dead-locked from inside and required a key to enter.

I stopped in to look at the baby and found her fast asleep with her fist in a ball again. I laughed softly to myself and turned to straighten up her room when I heard a metal clanking sound from below her windows. I went to the window, but couldn't see anything. I started to pull the plastic bag from her diaper pail when I heard what sounded like someone falling over a trashcan outside. Our trashcans were out back next to the kitchen door. Apparently Caleb was home and coming from the garage to the kitchen. I started down the stairs, excited to tell him that the baby had laughed for the first time earlier that night when I saw the front door knob turn slightly and stop.

A chill ran up my back, but I thought that maybe Caleb had forgotten the key to the back so he came around to the front.

"Caleb?" I called out. There was no response. "Caleb?" Whoever was at the front door had stopped trying the knob. I froze.

My retractiles came down and my heart started to race. I went back upstairs and turned off the lights. When excited or frightened, I could see exceptionally well in the dark. I heard something below, voices whispering just outside the door and I knew that it had to be Guardians. I thought they might be after Caleb, but then again, they might be after me or even Riane. It didn't matter; they'd kill any vampire they found. I grabbed Riane from her cot and then started down the stairs. I heard glass break in the library where there were two sets of French doors. There was only one option so I ran to the cellar door and grabbed the hidden key to Caleb's lair. Opening it, I carried Riane over to Caleb's charcoal colored coffin, placing her gently in the lower half of the casket, leaving the top half open. She cried for a little bit, but it was muffled, making it inaudible to anyone outside the room. The Guardians knew I was in the house and so I felt that I couldn't stay in the room without risking them breaking down the door and getting both of us. So I decided to be the bait and draw them upstairs.

I opened the door from the lair and saw that there was no one in the cellar with me. Leaving the lair, I made sure the door was locked behind me. It was quiet for several seconds. _Creak—_I was startled by the creaking in the floorboards above me. I stopped breathing, trying to listen to what was going on in the entire house. There was a creak coming from the south end of the house, from the library, meaning I had at least two to deal with, probably more.

Taking a deep breath, I knew I had to take quick action so that I could surprise them. Using my vampire speed, I rushed up behind the six foot two inch Guardian in the kitchen. The floor creaked under my feet. He turned quickly with the stake raised and aiming for my heart just as I was going to bite his neck, managing to throw me off guard. Screaming a warning out for his accomplice, he thrust his arm towards me but I managed to sink my rectractiles deep into the intruder's neck. Alerted, the accomplice rushed into the kitchen just as I dropped the first Guardian to the floor. The medium sized woman in a peacoat raised her revolver, took aim and shot, but I had already dropped and rolled on the kitchen floor. I jumped up just as she shot again; the silver slug burning deep into my thigh dropping me like a piece of lead to the kitchen floor.

The woman walked cautiously towards me, her hair tightly tucked up into a ski cap, the gun now aimed at my heart. The silver bullet in my thigh had nicked my femoral artery and I was bleeding profusely. I tried to ball up, but I could see her finger already pulling at the trigger. I heard the sound of the gun, but I was already in shock and didn't feel the bullet at first. Then there was a fire in my chest and I was starting to see bright spots. Touching my chest, I felt blood on my shaking fingers.

The Guardian's brown eyes behind the trigger were wild with excitement. She aimed at my head and smiled, "I'm going to blow that brain of yours out of your head and then I'm going to blow the brains out of that little blood sucking abomination you call a baby. You'll die knowing that mortals were able to slaughter your child, that with all your super speed and super powers, you couldn't save your baby.

I closed my eyes and waited for the bullet. I prayed that Caleb would think to look for the baby in the cellar, that is, if the Guardians didn't find her first. It seemed deathly quiet. The pain was so debilitating that I just wanted it over. But there was no bullet, just the sound of retractiles breaking skin and crunching through muscle. I opened my eyes and saw Caleb dropping the woman to the floor, her eyes still open and painted with horror.

He quickly knelt down and started feeling my body. "Darling, you're bleeding...badly." He whispered.

"My leg and chest—silver bullets."

"I've got to move you to the pantry; they have a dozen or more Guardians crawling all over the house."

"The cellar, any in the cellar?"

"I saw the window kicked in, so probably."

I grabbed his collar and started shaking. "Riane is down there! I hid her in your coffin."

Before I could get all of it out, he dropped me and disappeared faster than even I could move. I heard screaming from several mortals before he emerged again, blood dripping from his retractiles and down the front of his clothes. He grabbed me and carried me into the pantry.

"Stay here. Riane is safer in the lair than up here. I have to clear the rest of the house." Caleb ripped a portion of his sleeve off and started to tie it on my thigh.

"Caleb?" A male voice yelled.

It was Grant. He walked into the kitchen and found Caleb in the pantry doorway trying to put a tourniquet on my thigh.

"We took care of them. We're taking a female back to the docks to interrogate her." Grant said.

"All of them?"

"It looks like it. Three in your house, two outside."

Caleb motioned to the dead Guardians on the floor in the kitchen. "I've got two in here and two in the cellar."

I pulled on his pant leg, "Get Riane, get the baby."

"Of course, darling. Grant, come in here and take Kiara upstairs to bed, then get some towels."

"No! I want my baby." I yelled.

"Kiara, I need for you to go upstairs and be ready for me to pull that slug out of your thigh. I'll bring Riane up to you."

"But—"

"Damn it, Kiara. For once do what I say. We need to act quickly or Riane's not going to have a mother. You're bleeding out."

I looked down and he was right. Because of the silver, the wounds weren't healing and the blood was soaking the floor. The bullet would have to be removed and quickly. "Okay, I'm sorry. Just find her. She's in the bottom of your coffin."

The men picked me up and took me upstairs, laying me back on the bed. My blood started to soak into the duvet. Grant yelled to bring me some towels. They put them under my leg. I was woozy, starting to lose consciousness, but refused to until I saw my baby. I heard steps and Caleb's voice cooing, "Your Mummy sure knows how to hide a baby. I had trouble finding you. Come my little pet, your Mum is desperate to hold you."

He turned into the room and motioned for Grant to leave. Handing Riane to me, I started crying and so did Riane. Caleb turned his attention to my leg shouting for someone to bring up the doctor's bag from the library.

"Darling, I don't have time to find you any painkillers. I'm going to have to remove the slug and then feed you. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

He took Riane and handed her to Yantze. "Put her in her cot."

Yantze left and without thinking twice, Caleb turned, scalpel in hand, and proceeded to cut a two inch gash in my leg as I clenched down on a rolled pillowcase. He pulled the silver bullet out and then immediately cut his own wrist, letting the blood drip into my mouth and then onto the wound itself. He turned and cut my chest open. "My God, it's less than an inch from your heart. Great Caesar, my love, you almost died." Again, he allowed his blood to drip into the chest wound.

When vampires share blood, there isn't the bond that exists when a mortal shares blood with a vampire, but it does aid in quickly healing wounds. I immediately felt the healing in my chest and leg, I could feel my muscles knitting together. Without Caleb's blood, I would have surely died.

"Dieter? It failed. We lost an entire cell and they captured the second in command, Deanna. We suspect that they managed to get information out of her."

Upset, but not surprised, Dieter responded to the British Guardian on the phone. "Well, Colin, if she ever shows up on our door, we'll be ready." He hung up and turned to Lana. "You're going to have to stick like glue to House. I still think he is the key to this."

Lana grimaced. "Why don't you sleep with him then?"

"That bad in bed?"

Lana smiled. "No, it's just having to deal with him before and after."

"We're all making sacrifices, Lana." He said as he held up his hands to remind her of the tacky apartment he had been forced to rent as a result of his limited funds.


	22. Chapter 19 Part I

**Chapter 19**

**In Blood**

"Mario arranged to drop your car off at the airport, it's in section A2. We installed the car seat for my little princess. I'll see you after you go to the hospital. Please tell him that I hope he's not in pain." Daddy said.

"Thank you, Daddy. I appreciate it. I'll see you tomorrow night. Love you."

"Good bye, Acushla. Kiss my granddaughter for me."

"You can kiss her yourself tomorrow."

I hung up and turned to Caleb who was sitting on the sofa with Riane on his lap. Riane climbed down and ran awkwardly across the room to me. She had been walking for two months now, but was not very graceful on her feet. I picked her up and went over to Caleb. The disappointment on his face was like a neon sign.

"Caleb, I have to go. She said he has less than forty-eight hours."

"Just because he asked for you, doesn't mean you have to run back to Princeton."

I started crying, "He's dying. What do you want from me?"

Looking sheepish, he stared at me with his sad blue eyes. "I want what he's going to get—your love."

"Caleb—"

"Stop. I know." His voice grew soft, almost too soft to hear. "I know."

I sat down next to him and let Riane crawl back into his lap.

"She's going to miss you."

"You promise to be home by September?"

I nodded and put my head on his shoulder. "I need to spend a little time in Princeton with Daddy. He keeps moaning about you hogging all the time with Riane. It's only six months and then we'll be back." The room went silent as he held Riane close to his chest. We had just celebrated her first birthday and Caleb had given Riane a country home with a pony. She was obviously too young to ride the pony and the pony was too young to support her, but they would grow up together and that was his intention—to give an older Riane a reason to stay in England even if I went back to the USA.

"Maybe now that he's dying you can get over him." Caleb commented.

"Maybe."

"I love you."

"I know. And you know how fond I am of you and how grateful I am."

I had been with Caleb for almost two years and we more or less lived like a married couple. Oh, Caleb had plenty of sex, but not with me. He would come home with bites on his neck and I would know that he had been with someone, but I never held it against him. In fact, I was glad that he wasn't being a martyr for me. I knew in his heart that he believed that one day, maybe not while Greg was alive, I would come back to him and love him like I did. It wasn't impossible. I was already starting to thaw and, the longer I was apart from Greg, the easier it was to appreciate Caleb and love him for his steadfastness. But there were days when I'd look into Riane's eyes and Greg would stare back making my heart squeeze into a ball. I still had feelings for him.

The night before when the phone had rang and I saw a USA identification, I immediately picked up thinking that it was Daddy or Mario, but it wasn't. It had been the deep but feminine voice of Lana.

"Kiara, its Lana. I have some bad news. Greg was in a motorcycle accident and he's in bad shape. He has sepsis and multiple organ failure. They don't think he'll last seventy-two hours. Kiara, he's asking for you."

"Me?" It really didn't matter whether he was asking for me or not. I would have gone anyway; the pull to be with him was so overwhelming I wanted to charter a plane that very moment.

"Yes, I don't know why, but can you come?"

"Of course. Is he at Princeton-Plainsboro?"

"Yes. I tell you what, just call my cell when you get in and I'll meet you at the hospital and give you an update before you see him."

"What room is he in so that I can call him?"

"He's not in a private room. He's in ICU and he's not in any condition to take calls right now. He's been sleeping a lot. You understand."

"Yes." I kept thinking that with sepsis, I might be his best hope. I could taste his blood and probably narrow down the bacteria and we could streamline his treatment.

When Caleb woke and found me packing, he was both hurt and angry, but he still arranged for a car to take me to the airport in the morning. Dinner was strained and even afterwards, he couldn't look at me. But, I was so concerned over Greg that I welcomed the silence.

I tried to go to bed at midnight so that I would be on Riane's schedule in the morning, but I didn't really sleep. Getting up at seven am, I called the nanny and arranged for her to receive three months' severance pay. I left Caleb a letter trying to explain how grateful I was that he was in our lives and that he could never be replaced. I felt sick to my stomach knowing that I couldn't give him everything he wanted from me. In some ways, I felt like a leach, although Caleb had never given me any reason to believe that. It's just that when someone loves you so much and you love another, guilt is the ultimate derivative.

We barely caught the plane after getting stuck on the motorway behind a lorry that had overturned. I had booked two first class seats so that I could have some room with Riane, who was now quite ambulatory. I let her out of her carrier for a few minutes and she stood up in her seat, excited.

"Sky!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she pointed out the airplane window to the clouds were were flying through.

Using a quiet voice, I nodded. "Yes, pumpkin, sky, clouds. Now let's color in your coloring book." The distraction worked and although there were the occasional squeals, for the most part she was very good on the plane, even taking a half hour nap.

But, the truth is that Riane is exhausting. The love I feel for her is consuming, but even though I love her more than the world, she is so bright that she needs constant stimulation and if she doesn't get it, she starts making her own entertainment which usually causes havoc.

Nonetheless, as she sat in her carrier she soon charmed the airline attendant with her big blue eyes and offers of infant drawings in exchange for cookies. Riane is a very pretty little girl; her smile can melt your heart and she knows it. But, she doesn't use her charm with malice. There is no guile in her. My daughter is ornery, but not mean.

When she napped, I sat and allowed myself the luxury of a tear or two. The idea that Greg was dying had made me numb at first, but then the tears came sporadically, even when I tried not to think about him. I didn't want to acknowledge the existence of a world without him in it. Despite the fact that we were not together and probably never would be didn't damper the pain of knowing that he'd never joke with me or call me Fangs or run his fingers down my spine. It made me so sad I thought I would just sink into the seat and become part of the fabric.

When we arrived, I went into the executive bathroom to freshen up and change Riane. The keys to the car were waiting with airport security. I found the Lexus sedan my father had bought for me to carry his precious granddaughter. According to him, it had every safety device known to man and he was convinced that she would be safe. I had already decided to go straight to the hospital from the airport. With Greg dying, there was no reason I should keep him from meeting his daughter right away. He should know that something of him would live on.

As I drove, I called Lana's cell, but she wasn't responding, probably because she was in the hospital. I decided to see if Jim was in his office. He picked up on the third ring.

"Jim? It's Kiara."

"Kiara?" He sounded surprised that I was calling him. "Uh, do you mind if I call you back? I'm on the other line with Sloan Kettering."

"Sure, I just thought I'd try you when Lana didn't answer."

"You talked to her?"

"Yes, she told me all about it. I'm headed to the hospital right now. Could you or Lana take me up to ICU? I doubt they'll let me have the run of the hospital without someone accompanying me."

"ICU?" He sounded confused. "Of course. When will you be here?"

"Five minutes, maybe less. I'll come up to your office."

"Fine. See you then."

I found a spot in the west parking lot next to the clinic entrance and parked. It was the middle of February and the lot still had a thin layer of leftover snow from a storm the weekend before. I was in a hot pink dress with navy piping, slightly Jackie Kennedy in its style, and a blue-gray cashmere coat with gray leather gloves. Riane was in a frilly blue dress with a cashmere coat that matched mine except it was a lighter blue. She had little frilly socks and a pair of Mary Jane's on her feet. My daughter's slightly darker brown hair was curly, but over the year it had only reached the top of her coat collar. Still, with the blue satin ribbon as a headband, she looked very sweet.

Once inside the hospital, I put Riane down so she could walk after the long flight. We took the elevator to the fourth floor offices. Walking past Greg's, I saw the lights were on, but the room and the white board was empty. I hurried past and knocked on Jim's door.

"Come in."

Opening the door, I was greeted with a huge grin and a look of deep shock when he noticed my daughter.

"Yours?" He asked.

"Yes, this is Riane. Honey this is Dr. Wilson, he's Mummy's friend."

He picked Riane up and took a good look at her. I was pretty sure he was about to ask me if Greg was the father, but I didn't have time for chit chat. I immediately asked him about Greg.

"What's Greg's condition? Lana said he had sepsis and only had a few hours. Am I too late? Is he awake?"

Jim pulled his head back and tilted it like I was speaking gibberish. "Sepsis? House?"

"Yes, she told me that he's dying from a motorcycle accident. That he has sepsis." I was firm in my conviction that I had heard her right.

"You better sit down." Jim looked very concerned.

"Oh my God! He's dead."

"_No! Oh, no!" _Jim shook his head. "Kiara, House is fine. There was no accident. I don't understand why she called you and told you that."

I was completely dumfounded, my mouth dropping open in shock. "He's fine?"

"He's House, but he's healthy. She said he asked for you?" Jim looked down at the floor, trying to think. "I don't know what's going on in his brain, but that's not unusual, I often don't know what's going on in his brain. Why he had her call you is a mystery to me."

I couldn't say anything, I was stunned into silence. I finally managed to ask, "Are they a couple?"

"Off and on. She breaks up with him and then they make up. I thought they were on the outs right now, but I can't be sure. It varies from hour to hour. Maybe that's it. House hasn't really been himself since that trip to Italy. He's even more surly than usual. Maybe she thinks he still has feelings for you and she wanted to test him by getting you over here."

"I don't know, Jim. I'm at a loss for words. This is bizarre."

"One thing for sure, you must have feelings for him if you dropped everything and flew back to be with him."

"I had planned to spend the summer with my father anyway."

"Yes, but you came now."

This changed everything. If Greg was fine, then I didn't want him meeting Riane. I had to get out of the hospital. "I came and now I'm leaving. It was lovely seeing you Jim. I'll call you and we can have lunch soon, okay?"

"Sure, but don't you want to see House?"

"No. Frankly, I don't want to be a part of their games." I stood up and he came from around the desk to give me a goodbye hug.

"You're daughter is lovely."

"Thank you. She really needs a nap. We better go."

After our goodbyes, we walked down the hall, past Greg's empty office and waited for the elevator.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx

Before Wilson lost sight of them, he was on his cell phone paging House.

"What?" House growled.

"Kiara's here. She's just left my office and is about to go out to the parking lot."

"Kiara?"

"Yeah, and there's someone with her that you need to meet." Wilson said, not wanting to give away his suspicion that House's daughter had just walked down the hall. "Where are you?"

"Third floor west wing. I'm on my way." House flipped his cell phone shut.

There was a click of the phone. Wilson went back into the hall and noticed that Kiara and her daughter were just getting on the elevator. Taking the stairs down to the Mezzanine, Wilson arrived just in time to see the two walk out of the elevator below him. Wilson realized that House wasn't going to make it in time to catch them. But then Cuddy stopped Kiara and there was a mini-reunion, lots of clucking and then Kiara obviously gave Cuddy her phone number and they were walking away just as House appeared out of the elevator. Wilson bent over the rail, enjoying his front row seat. There was no telling where this was going to go.

"Were you going to leave without seeing me?"

Kiara stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, noticing that Wilson was hanging over the rail of the mezzanine above them. She glared at Wilson and shook her head in disapproval. Wilson smiled back and shrugged.

House's eyes immediately went to Riane. "Your daughter? She has her father's eyes."

Kiara was confused. He wasn't referring to himself, but to..._He thinks Caleb is the father? _

"Yes, she has her father's eyes. How are you Greg?"

"Great. I'm playing golf this weekend." He said motioning to the improvement in his gait.

"That's good, really good."

"What are you doing in Princeton?"

"Visiting my father."

"I heard you were working at St. Bart's."

"Not anymore. I had to quit after Riane was born. My circadian clock and hers didn't match and I was always nackered."

"Well, I see that things between you and Caleb heated up after I left."

"We're living together." It was both a lie and the truth. "So, you're with Lana?"

"Occasionally. We seem to have our moments. But, at least she doesn't suck the life out of me."

"You sound bitter. What did I ever do to you?"

_What did she do? Nothing, but why can't I stop thinking of her after all this time. I still ache when I think of us lying in bed just holding each other. What did she do to me? _"You made me afraid to walk the streets at night. With my AB blood, I know just how attractive I am to your kind."

Kiara clenched her jaw. "You don't have to worry. As long as you're in Princeton, England or Italy, you have the protection of the crown. No one's going to touch you."

"You say that, but how can I trust vampires? You let me believe that I was in love with you. You lied to me by your omission."

"Go to hell." Kiara turned, holding tightly to Riane's hand.

Frustrated that he was losing her again, he yelled like a child, "Yeah, well I hope you and your little bloodsucker run into a couple of stray stakes on the way out."

Kiara shuddered, but continued to walk.

"You're freaks!" House yelled so that everyone could hear, but Kiara didn't acknowledge him, she just kept walking.

Wilson shook his head, _when will he ever learn to tell someone how he feels instead of pushing them away?_

It was an overcast day, but the sun now covering the parking lot still made Kiara feel a little uncomfortable. Luckily, Riane showed no discomfort when exposed to the sun. Kiara was so caught up in her anger that she didn't see the parking attendant giving her a ticket until she was almost all the way to the car. The male attendant was young and handsome and smiling up at her. Kiara couldn't figure out why she was being ticketed except that the lot may have been marked for staff and she hadn't seen the sign. A van pulled into the space next to hers. Pulling Riane across the lot, she watched as the man continued to write. Kiara hurried to stop him.

"I'm here, I'm here. Please don't write a ticket. I didn't know I was breaking any rules."

There was a voice from behind her. "Kiara! Kiara! It's me, Lana."

Kiara turned to talk to Lana. "Oh, hi. Just a minute, I need to beg forgiveness from this parking Nazi."

Lana laughed. "That won't be necessary."

Kiara cocked her head and turned just in time to see that the young man had knelt down next to Riane and was holding a gun to her head.

"_Oh my God, what are you doing?" _Kiara asked as she tried to grab Riane, but the man had a firm hand on the little toddler.

As she asked, a man got out of the van with something pointing from his coat pocket. Lana also had something in hers. Kiara assumed they were all guns. The man pulled out a cell phone and started dialing.

Lana's cell phone rang. Flipping it open, she held it up and motioned to the parking attendant. "Kiara, the bullets in that gun are made from silver. My friend here is going to take the little abomination in the van. If you move to go after her of if I fail to keep in contact with the van while they drive away, they'll put a silver bullet in her tiny little vampire brain. Do you understand?"

Kiara thought she could have taken on one, maybe two of them, but not three with guns all aimed at her daughter's head. There was nothing she could do but stall.

"Please, take me, not her. I'm the one you want. I'm the abomination, not her. She's just a little baby."

But Lana wasn't going along; she motioned for them to take Riane. They grabbed the girl as if they were loading a bag of groceries into the van. Kiara was shaking so hard she thought she'd fall down. The men jumped in the van and took off leaving Lana and Kiara in the parking lot staring at each other.

Lana sensed that Kiara was about to attack and she was right. She took a step back and held up the phone. "One word or a lack of words and your daughter is dead. Understand?"

Kiara was helpless to do anything. She saw House coming through the parking lot, the last thing she wanted to deal with.

House had seen what appeared to be a strange confrontation between Lana, a parking lot attendant and a man in a van. They took the little girl, but Kiara did nothing to stop them which made House think that Kiara had sanctioned the move. Approaching the two women, he could now tell that the air was filled with tension.

"Hey, if this is going to be a catfight, I want a front row seat. I'm flattered that you two—"

In a deep, somber voice, Kiara simply said, "She's a Guardian and they just kidnapped my baby."

House stopped short and looked at Lana. He could see that she had what looked like a gun in her pocket. Shaking his head, he approached her. "What's going on?"

Lana didn't take her eyes off of Kiara. "This vampire managed to have a child. We're going to find out how they've managed to procreate. I've got to go." Burrowing her eyes into Kiara she waved the phone. "Remember, one word from me and she's dead."

House and Kiara watched as Lana walked over to a car, opened the door and drove off with the cell phone to her ear. When she was out of sight, Kiara fell to her knees.

House whipped out his cell phone, "We need to call the police."

Kiara shook her head. "No! You can't! The Guardians will claim we're vampires and they'll have proof. They'll have my baby. I have to get home and wake my father. Christ, it's only two in the afternoon. They'll have a three hour start on us."

"How can I help?" House asked.

"Oh, don't give me that crap. I know you're part of this, Greg. You gave her my phone number to call."

"What are you talking about?"

Kiara was frantic, screaming. "She called me, called me at home in England, told me you were dying and asking for me."

"Dying? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me! I know how you feel about vampires...'_I hope you and your little bloodsucker run into some stray stakes.' _Well, screw you. Get out of my way; I know you're supposed to stall me." Kiara pushed House back and allowed her retractibles to drop, hissing at him. She jumped into her car and backed out without a glance back, almost hitting House. Pealing out of the lot, Kiara cried all the way to her father's manor.


	23. Chapter 19 Part II

Pulling the van into the underground parking of the old building that used to house numerous doctor offices, Dieter was ecstatic. He had been planning this for almost a year, ever since the Brits had failed in their mission. Peering into the rear view mirror, he watched Brad pushing the little blood-sucker back into the seat as she tried to climb out of it, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Shut the creature up." Dieter yelled.

Brad backslapped the baby across her mouth, "Shut up bloodsucker!"

The child whimpered, a red angry mark forming on her cheek. She continued crying for her mother. "Mummy, I want mummy."

"Get her inside." Dieter barked as he waited for them to get out of the van. He saw the bright red of Lana's Porsche park by the sidewalk, causing him to smile. _She made it._

When they all met on the sidewalk there were high fives and cheers all around. Dieter raised a fist and announced, "We did what the Brits couldn't do! We're about to bring down the Larkin empire."

They entered the old medical offices, taking the stairs to the second floor and then turning left to the suite of offices they had prepared. Brad dropped the child on the examination bed and strapped her arms out to her side on the pullout trays. Dieter motioned to Brad. "Pull the straps tight, she's a vampire, she may be able to change shapes or she might be stronger than we think. We don't want her getting away."

Brad pulled the straps tight until the child screamed out in pain and then he pulled them tighter. The sound of her pain gave him great satisfaction; after all the months of planning he was going to finally kill some vampires.

Smiling at Lana, Dieter motioned to Riane. "Let's see what makes this baby tick?"

Lana nodded and turned to her medical bag. "I'll give her some morphine."

"Why? I mean, she's a vampire, who cares if she's in pain?" Brad asked.

Lana wasn't shocked by his attitude, she understood how he felt. "But I want her to stay still while I get the samples."

Brad rolled his eyes and flopped back into the chair. Bored, he asked, "When do the others arrive?"

"The guards should be here in a few minutes. The surgeon will be here tomorrow." Dieter announced as he logged onto his computer. "Brad, get all the vehicles in the garage." Looking up at Lana, he asked, "Do we feed her some blood or what?"

Lana shrugged, "I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We're not feeding her anyway. She's having surgery in the morning and we want all the food out of her stomach and bowels. We'll give her an enema later tonight."

"Fine, I'm going to go call Mac. Do you need any help before I go?" Dieter asked.

"Could you roll the x-ray machine in here? I want to pull this baby tooth to determine what it's made of and then take x-rays of her mouth to see if the fangs are there yet."

Lana hooked up the I.V. and started the morphine. Looking into the sad blue eyes, Lana felt a twinge of regret, but quickly recovered. _This is not a little girl; this is a deadly creature with the blue eyes of an angel. This is the devil's work. This is not a little girl._ She picked up the sharp stainless steel scalpel and began to cut the two inch by two inch sample of skin from the little girl's arm. Grabbing a bandage, she automatically started to dress the little girl's bleeding wound. After patting the wound dry, Lana was about to use some alcohol on it, but realized it would be a waste. They planned to remove all of her major organs to dissect and analyze them in the morning. The little vampire would never have time to get an infection from her wound. Besides, it looked as if she had already stopped bleeding and was scabbing over.

Lana studied the x-ray of Riane's mouth and realized that the fangs had not yet formed, but she still wanted to see if there was a difference in the composition of her teeth. Taking out the baby tooth was tougher than she thought it would be. It must have been extremely painful because the child woke up out of the morphine induced sleep and cried out. An extra dose of morphine helped to quiet her. Surprisingly, she didn't fall back to sleep right away. The blue eyes followed Lana as she took the additional x-rays of her body. She was still awake when Lana started pulling off one of her tiny fingernails for analysis, causing the little girl to whimper. Lana upped the morphine again and watched as the blue eyes fell into a deep sleep.

Shaving the tiny head of her pretty brown curls made Lana think of her own hair and how it had been like this when she was young. _She's not a little girl, she's a creature of the night. But, if that's true, what was she doing in the sun? She must have her mother's tolerance to the sun. That just means we're doing the right thing, we're making sure that a race of sun-tolerant vampires aren't created. This is the right thing to do. She's not a child, she's a vampire, a horrible creature that deserves to die._

The monitor was wheeled in and the leads hooked up to record the child's brain waves. She stopped the morphine to save what was left for in the morning. They would no longer need to keep her sedated tonight. Lana knew that when the little girl woke up, she'd be in pain from all that they had done to her, but it didn't matter. If the crying became too much, Lana would just lock the door and watch television downstairs in the lounge.

X x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x

I knew enough to know that I couldn't call the police. My daughter's kidnapping was a matter for my father's sect to deal with. They had a better chance of finding her and taking out the Guardians than the police. I cried all the way home, but now was not the time to cry. I needed to figure out what to do. I went down into the basement and walked to my father's lair, opening his coffin and gently waking him.

"Acushla? What's wrong?" One look at my face and he knew. "The Guardians? Do they have Riane?"

"Yes, Daddy, three of them took her in the parking lot of the hospital. One of them was Greg's girlfriend, the doctor named Lana."

"So, he's a part of this."

I had to agree. She knew my cell phone number, used him as an excuse and his remarks as we left couldn't be ignored. "Maybe...probably."

"Acushla, you know we'll probably have to eliminate him too?"

"I know Daddy, but I brought him into our lives, _I'll take him out_. Let's just decide what I can do until you and the others can come upstairs."

"I'll wake the others. You just go up and call Caleb. Then I want you to arrange for everyone to feed as soon as they wake. We'll need several donors. Get our mortals started looking for these vehicles. Did they have license plates?"

"Only Lana's car."

"Fine, if you need me, I'll be down here. Now leave and make sure the windows of the outer cellar are shuttered."

I did as told and having something to do made me stronger. I went through the list, but the hardest thing was calling Caleb. He didn't chastise me for running into this trap; he simply told me that he was going to charter a plane as soon as possible and that we would find her.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x

House was pissed that she thought he could be a part of this. He wasn't fond of the vampire world. The fact that there had been a bond that he had no control over and she kept a secret made him distrust her and her kind. But, still, seeing her had stung and he had a sudden desire to be with her. He realized when he saw her that this attraction had nothing to do with vampires and blood, he ached for _her._ But, like Cuddy, now she had a child and she had Caleb. They were now a couple with a family, which hurt even more. It was all so perfect--two doctors, a pretty little toddler, a wonderful home in London. They were living the life. At least they were living the life until today.

House wasn't sure what he could do. Obviously, Lana had used him as bait and he was furious. He wanted answers so he flipped open his cell and called her. When she picked up he didn't even say hello. "You better have some answers for me or I'm calling the cops. I'm telling them everything that I saw and how you were involved...that you had a gun."

"Greg, stay out of this or better yet, join us. These are vampires. They kill humans without any thought."

"You're so full of it. I need to see you, I want some answers."

"I can't right now. But around eight I could be at your apartment. I won't have long, but we could talk. I know that when you hear me out, you'll understand."

"The little girl, is she alright?"

"Listen to me, _she's a creature of the night—an offspring of two monsters. _If she weren't tied down, she'd be drinking our blood."

"I doubt that."

"I can't talk to you about this on the phone. I'll see you at eight."

House finished up at work and went home just as the sun was setting to wait for Lana to arrive. He ordered Chinese and sat back to watch Jeopardy, noticing that Alex had a strange looking tie on with cartoonish figures all over it. At eight, he turned off the television and sat quietly until he heard something in the hall outside; there was a knock on the door.

Opening the door Lana stood in front of him with blood on her collar and her hair slightly messed up. Without saying anything she breezed by him and into the living room. House closed the door and turned to her.

"What did you do with the kid?"

"_She's not a kid!_" She yelled. After seeing his reaction to her voice, she calmed down. "Did you know that Kiara is a vampire?"

"Yes."

"I've tried for two years to get you to admit it and you wouldn't, why not?"

"Why should I? It's her secret, not mine to tell."

Pacing a little, she finally stood still in front of the fireplace.

House tried again. "What did you do with the kid?"

"She's the start of a new breed of vampire. She can handle sunlight. I pulled a baby tooth where her fangs will be and our preliminary results show they have carbon in them, meaning that when her fangs come in, they'll be stronger than our teeth."

"Retractiles, that's what they're called. How do you know she'll even get them?"

"Because we x-rayed her head and found the buds for them just behind her baby teeth."

"You pulled a tooth and took head x-rays? She's just an infant!"

"_She's a vampire! _Greg, you have to keep that in mind. When this little girl grows up she's going to kill humans to feed off of them. You can't get sentimental about them."

"But she's a quarter mortal. Her grandmother was a maid. A mortal maid."

"Really? How much information did Kiara give you?" Walking over she put a hand up to his cheek. "Greg, come with me and tell us what you know. It's so important that we stop them from breeding."

"You're nuts! They don't kill to feed anymore."

"They killed ten Guardians last year when we tried to kill Kiara."

"You tried to kill Kiara? _Are you nuts?_ The entire kingdom of vampires would come down on your head if you killed her."

"Not if we discover their genetic code. We think the child can tell us a lot about their genetic makeup. We've already run several tests on her."

"Tests?" House put his hands to his mouth trying to calm himself.

"We took a fingernail, a patch of skin, her tooth, we're running brain scans. I've taken several vials of her blood."

"Jesus! She's just a little girl!" House screamed in her face.

"She's a vampire! The daughter of an English King and American Princess!" Lana yelled back. Their faces were less than an inch apart.

"You have to give her back or war will break out."

"We're not giving her back. Tomorrow our surgeon will take her organs out—"

House felt queasy. "Oh crap! You can't kill a little girl you f#cking skank. Besides being barbaric, the whole vampire world will declare war on every Guardian on the east coast."

"We want that. We want the world to finally know that we're not crazy. We know that the only way to get the Vampires to show themselves to the world is to kill the daughter of a king and princess. We know we'll probably die but we're ready, because this time we'll have proof, we'll have her vampire organs, her DNA—"

There was a knock on the door.

House walked to the door and looked through the peep hole. "Holy crap!" Standing in his hall was Kiara and Mario.

Lana could tell from his tone that he was scared. "Is it her? Don't open the door!"

House opened the door but stepped a few feet back, away from them.

Kiara looked inside and saw Lana. House couldn't help but think Kiara looked incredibly sexy, dressed in black pants, a black turtleneck and a black leather jacket that fit her figure perfectly. Kiara couldn't come into a mortal home without an invitation and although House had invited her in before, she wasn't sure whether Lana was living with him. She had to be invited again if the inhabitants had changed.

"May we come in?" She asked calmly.

"Don't invite her in!" Lana screamed.

House could care less at this point what Lana wanted. "You can come in, but he can't."

Kiara looked at Mario and nodded for him to wait in the car. "Fair enough." Kiara walked in and looked at Lana, then House. "What did you two do with my baby? Where is she?"

House motioned to Lana, "Well if you hadn't burst in I would have gotten Dr. Mengele to open up and tell me."

"Mengele? What do you mean?" She glared at Lana.

"Apparently, she's taken a page from Auschwitz and has started dissecting your daughter." House realized from the flash of retractiles that he had said the wrong thing. Before he could say anything else, he heard the sound of muscle being pierced and then Lana lay dead on the floor. There was a flash and Kiara was at his throat, ready to attack.

"Whoa! I'm on your side."

"You better tell me where my daughter is. This is your last opportunity."

"I –don't--know. I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. I may not like vampires, but I'm not a baby killer. Christ Kiara, you know me, all lip. Since when did I join causes? I am my own cause. I have no interest in killing vampires... that is as long as they don't kill me."

Kiara twisted her head to the angle of his neck to emphasize that she didn't believe him.

"Kiara, I swear. I want to find your little girl too. I know that if they kill her all hell is going to break loose and I'm bound to be in the middle of it. Besides, I think I know a way to find her."

Kiara stopped, took a step back and looked at House. "You do?"

"But I want you to promise you won't kill me."

"I promise."

"Nah you agreed too quickly. You won't kill me you'll have your goon do it. I want you to guarantee me that your no-neck thug out there won't kill me and all of your vampire friends won't kill me."


	24. Chapter 20 Part I

**Chapter 20 Part I**

**The Bender**

_What if he isn't part of this? What if he does know how to find her? Greg is brilliant, he figures things out, that's his job. Do I trust him? I promised Dad I would eliminate him. But, I don't have to do it right now. I can wait and see where this goes._

"I promise." I stepped back from his neck.

He looked down with trepidation at Lana. "What about her?"

"I'll have her taken care of."

He stepped over Lana's opaque body and away from me. I noticed that he was still walking without a cane. The hair was silver, had thinned even more and, as a result he was wearing it short again, but for the most part, he still looked like he did before.

"Could you put your fa—retractiles away?"

I retracted my teeth to show some good faith.

Without saying another word, he went to the drawer and pulled out his jacket and a golf club. My retractiles came down.

He shook his head, "Whoa! This isn't for you. I just figure I need some kind of weapon if I'm going to do battle with a Guardian."

"Where is my daughter?"

"I don't know for sure. But, I have an idea. Grab her purse."

I rolled Lana's body over and saw that the purse had been strung over her shoulder. I removed it from her and threw it to Greg. He dug inside and pulled out a set of keys.

I hadn't thought about tossing her home to find an address. "Are we going to go through her apartment?"

He smiled, "Better than that. Come with me."

I followed as he turned out the lights and used his own keys to lock the door. I saw Mario in the car across the street.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I don't know, but have your goon follow us. I don't trust him in the car with us."

"He'll do what I say and if I tell him not to touch you, he won't."

"Yeah, and if you change your mind, he will."

I rolled my eyes but told Mario to follow. We entered the Porsche and then it dawned on me as the navigation system lit up what he was doing. "Oh, Greg, that's brilliant!"

"I thought you might appreciate it. Now we have to see what she plugged into the navigation system."

"But what if she didn't have to use her system?"

"I'm betting that she had to have plugged it in at some time."

We went through the last address and it looked as if it was leading to a Home Depot in the Trenton area. It didn't make sense to us. Concentrating on the addresses, Greg mentioned that it was in an area of Trenton that was known for having a lot of vacant properties.

"This might be the address, but if it isn't then we've just gone an hour out of our way."

I scrolled through the remaining addresses and wasn't sure. They could be keeping her in someone's home for all I knew. "What if she's in one of these residential addresses?"

Greg shook his head and gave me that superior look of his. "Lana said that a surgeon was coming in to perform surgery on her tomorrow."

"Surgery?" I cried out.

"Yeah, they were going to remove all of her organs for analysis."

"Oh God!" I crumbled into a blob of uncontrollable wailing until I felt a sharp blow across my mouth.

"I love slapping hysterical women! Look, you can't fall apart now. If we find this place then it's going to be the three of us against the Guardians. You need to stay tough."

"Three? You know you don't have to do this. Just get me to my daughter and I'll make sure you're kept alive." I meant it. I knew that he had nothing to do with taking my little girl--our little girl.

"Yeah, well let's see when we get there. If I don't like the odds, I might take you up on that."

We started to drive and on the way down he told me what Lana had said. I rolled the window down and started vomiting Lana's blood all down the side of the car. Greg started to slow down to accommodate me, but I waved my hand to indicate that he should speed up. He hit the pedal and we were speeding down the roads towards Trenton.

I called my father and told him to send some help to the address. He told me to wait for them to catch up before doing anything stupid.

"Daddy, it was Greg that gave us this lead. I don't think he had anything to do with the kidnapping."

"Acushla, you're being naive. Did you ever think he might be taking you straight into a trap?"

"Yes, I considered that, but my gut says he's not one of them. I have to trust that Daddy."

"Acushla, be careful."

"I love you Daddy. Bye."

Greg turned to me with his lip curled up. "Your dad doesn't trust me."

"No, he thinks this is a trap."

"Christ, of course it's a trap, this is where they're going to be. You are going to wait for his backup, right?"

"It depends." I sat back, my stomach now completely void and the hunger hitting me full force.

"You look great. Motherhood suits you."

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for the funny tag line or backhanded insult, but none came. "How have you been?"

"Well, your little potion didn't work."

I sat up, "Yes, it had to or you'd have been in England trying to be near me."

"Well, maybe it worked a little, but I was still attracted to you. I still thought about you."

I chuckled. "That's not the same thing as a bond. That's just wanting what you can't have."

"Seriously. It screwed up my relationship with Lana. I kept pushing her away because she wasn't...well, she didn't have any flare."

"What do you mean? She's...she was gorgeous and intelligent."

"Yeah, but she didn't feel like you."

I wasn't sure how to take his compliment, but in a way I was angry. Here he was trying to flirt with me while my daughter was being taken apart for experiments. "Whatever, Greg. Right now the only thing I want to feel is my daughter's smooth skin against mine."

He nodded.

"Oh—" I turned to him in my seat. "I forgot to tell my dad to extract Lana."

"Crap! Wilson is coming over tonight. You better call your dad right away. I'll call Wilson."

He made the call, but Wilson wasn't picking up. "Crap, he's not picking up. He's supposed to get there in ten minutes."

"Dad's got someone on the way. They'll probably get there at the same time."

"Can they nip Wilson and give him some of that memory-loss juice?"

I chuckled, "That's not a bad idea. I'll call Daddy back and tell him to hurry."

We arrived in Trenton with Mario less than a car-length behind us as we pulled up a block away from the building. We looked around and it seemed as if it was a medical complex that had been deserted. It was very dark with only one street lamp about fifty yards from the entrance to the building.

Standing nearby, I felt my daughter. I could sense her presence, something I had never felt so deep before. "I can feel her. She's here and she's frightened. She's also in pain. This is it Greg, you found her."

He nodded and then poked his head around the corner to look down the street at the building. I did the same. We could see several men talking and a few just walking around.

"We have a lot of company." Greg said.

Mario looked and laughed. "I can deal with those jackals, but how are you two going to get inside? We don't know how many are in there."

Greg sighed heavily, as if what he was going to say was against everything he believed in. "I can go in and find out how many are inside for you. Lana kept begging me to join her tonight. I could pretend that I have information for them about you."

"You'd do that?"

"I like to live large." I'll put my cell phone on speaker so you can hear me. Just don't say anything back, okay? If I need you, I'll say Trans-Golgi Network, okay?"

I knitted my forehead at the idea of slipping the words Trans-Golgi Network into a conversation, but it was his idea, so I went with it. "Fine."

Mario looked down at me as Greg walked towards the men. "That guy is Pickle's Dad?"

Pickles was Mario and the staff's nickname for Riane even though my father secretly disapproved. He didn't think it was respectful of her stature, but I reminded him that I was nicknamed 'Luvvie' by half the staff in Ireland when I was a little girl.

"Yeah, that's her Dad."

"He doesn't seem all that worried about her."

"He doesn't know she's his daughter. He thinks Caleb is."

"Ah Kir, you need to tell him. A man should know his own flesh and blood is being threatened. It would make him more determined to save her."

"You don't know him. I'm afraid if I tell him, he'll turn and hightail it."

"Nah, he seems okay enough. I mean you slept with the guy, you would know if he was a chump, right?"

"When it comes to Greg House, it's anyone's guess. Oh, he's talking to them."

We stopped our whispering and listened to them over the cell phone.

Greg's voice came over loud and clear, "Hey, Lana told me to meet her here. Is she or Dieter around?"

We could see the men slowly surround him in a menacing way, but Greg ignored them.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The tall, burly guy asked.

"I'm Lana's boyfriend, I'm here to give Dieter some information about Kiara Larkin. Lana called and told me to meet her here."

"Spread your legs." The guy growled.

Greg spread his legs and we watched as they searched him. We saw them pull out the cell phone and his wallet. They handed him his cell phone back and then took his I.D. out of the wallet. After scrutinizing him, they handed it back to him.

The man gave Greg orders, "You stay here. We weren't expecting any humans." He then sent a smaller, younger kid into the building.

We heard nothing for a few minutes and then a young voice yelled, "Send him up to the second floor."

Greg started walking and all we could hear was the muffled sound of his pants rubbing against the mouthpiece as he walked. He stopped and then I heard Dieter Kramer's voice. Chills ran up my spine.

"Dr. House, we haven't been able to reach Lana, she was supposed to come back with dinner."

"Sorry, that's my fault. I invited her in for a bite and we got to talking—"

Mario started laughing, trying hard not to let them hear. I gave him a stern look and he stopped.

"—she told me to tell you she was going to be late picking up the dinner."

"Talking? About what?" Dieter asked.

"She wanted me to come down and share with you what I know about the Larkin family and their set up, you know, their family tree, the history, the people in their sect, etc. Lana convinced me that these vampires need to be dealt with."

"Really? Did she tell you what we plan to do with the infant?"

"Yeah. She told me to take a look and see if there's anything I want to test from the little blood-sucker."

"Good idea. I know your reputation as a doctor. It might be helpful to have your opinion."

"You know, you've only got a dozen guys lurking about. That's no match for the Larkin clan." Greg baited him.

"We have more arriving soon. And when it's day, we're going to make our move against them."

"So this building looks like an old medical clinic."

"It was an abortion clinic before the doctor was shot. He moved up to Princeton and I leased it for a month. We've been planning this for a long time and this met our needs perfectly. There's a room for out-patient surgery. We're going to use it to remove the organs when the surgeon gets here from Florida. He's a guardian that has experience in dissecting vampires."

"You have two floors?"

"Two floors and the garage where we keep our vehicles."

There was the sound of a door opening and then I heard a child whimpering. My heart ached and my arms tingled from the pain I was feeling. I reached out and grabbed Mario as I started to crumble. He held me up.

We heard Greg's voice, "Hi, kid. How are you—" There was a pause and then Greg started to lose it. "Christ, you didn't even bother to bandage this... What is this? _You took a patch of her skin?_ "

"Dr. House," Dieter's voice was weary, "remember that you're dealing with a dangerous creature. The fact that she exists is dangerous enough. You see, they're breeding vampires that can withstand daylight. Once they do that, we mortals have no advantage. Understand?"

There was a commotion.

"Dr. House, what are you doing?" Dieter yelled.

"I'm taking these damn restraints off of her. They're cutting into her skin, she's bleeding."

"Dr. House, you need to stop or I'm going to have to use this on you."

"Well, you idiot, your sampling won't be any good if you don't get her blood flowing freely. These restraints will keep her Trans-Golgi network from working."

"Her what?"

"_Trans-Golgi Network!"_

Mario looked at me. I motioned for him to take out the six guys milling around outside while I made my way inside. I heard House say the buzz word one more time and then I heard a cry from my baby.

With my speed, I was able to zip right past the idiots guarding the building. I burst through the front door and encountered a barrage of shots coming from down the hall. I had to assume they were silver bullets or they wouldn't really do much to slow me down. I don't know where it came from or if it was from watching too many Bruce Willis movies, but I ducked and rolled. After realizing I was safe, I jumped up and in a split second was behind the teenage boy with the gun. I sank my retractiles into his neck muscle and drained him down to the point that he was unconscious, but I couldn't bring myself to kill him. Surprisingly, he wasn't a Guardian because he didn't have AB blood. Nonetheless, I suspected he was the son of one of them. He couldn't be much more than sixteen so I took pity on him. I heard someone behind me running up the stairs. I quickly took after them and discovered I was chasing a middle aged woman with too much meat on her bone to be running up stairs away from a vampire. I started laughing at the absurdity of it. She kept looking back over her shoulder, her 357 Magnum waving around as she did. She shot at me, hitting the wall and spraying chips of wall tile into my arm. I could see her about to shoot again. It was hilarious to see the look of 'oh sh!t' when she aimed and saw nothing. She quickly realized that I was on the top landing looking down at her and I'd have her neck before she could swing the gun around. The taste of her AB blood was sweet and pure. She was soon dead; her pupils fixed which meant, according to Greg, that I had four to go. I picked up her gun and started up the stairs again.

"Debbie? What's all that shooting? Are you okay?" A voice came out of a bathroom to the right and down the hall. "I'm hurrying! I'll be out in just a sec. Hon, answer me, _are you okay?"_

I kicked my foot through the bathroom door, splintering the wood jamb and knocking the door in. I saw his finger pull back on the trigger, but I had already lunged at the poor fat man taking a crap. It wasn't exactly my idea of how I'd like to feed, but his inability to stand did make it easier. He fell over off the pot and I started to gag from the smell. Men!

Three to go and one of the Guardians, Dieter, was with Greg. I heard someone coming up the steps, they were sure to find Debbie and know what that I was on the second floor. I zipped over and pressed myself at the top of the wall next to the top of the stairs. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was in my throat. I flung myself around the corner, gun ready and saw Mario.

"Oh, God! Am I glad it's you." I whispered.

"Whoa! Put that down! I'm done outside. Thought youse could use the help."

"You left the dead guys outside?" I was astonished at the thought of the sidewalk being littered with dead bodies.

He shrugged. "I lined them up on the steps so the other bloods would know that this is the place. Don't worry, they look like they're all passed out from a bender. Where's the rest?" Bloods was the nickname the New York and New Jersey vampires gave to mortals since they had blood.

"Three are left and I don't know where they are. I assume Dieter is in with Greg and two are somewhere else."

Mario went into the utility room and within seconds the entire building was dark. We would be able to see with our vampire eyes, but the mortals wouldn't. But, then again, they'd know we were coming now.

"I work better in the dark." Mario snickered.

"I don't know if we go right or left."

As if on cue, there was a noise from the left. Mario smiled and started towards the last door at the end of the hall. He had one of the mortal's guns but I had the feeling it was because he wanted it as a souvenir, not really because he was going to use it. I held Debbie's gun out in front of me with both my hands, sliding down the side of the hall against the wall just like I had seen on Law and Order. Mario walked straight down the middle of the hall, looking at me as if I was a little on the crazy side.

"Kir, you watch too much T.V. Right now those guys are tryin to find places inside that room at the end of the hall to hide so that they can take us out when we go in."

"So what do we do?"

"We go in low and with our guns blazin'."

"No! What if Riane is in there?"

He thought about it and nodded. "You have a point. Well, how are you at wall walking?"

I was never very good at wall walking, something that most vampires master by the time they've reached their first anniversary as a vampire. But I could do it in a pinch and this was a pinch.

"I guess okay."

"Then I say we go through the windows." He motioned to the window at the end of the hall.

"Crap." I have a small case of acrophobia. I'm okay if I have a wall or banister in front of me, but it's another thing to have to climb the side of a wall without a safety net.

"We'll be going sideways." Mario mentioned in the hopes that it would make me feel better since we wouldn't have to go upwards. It made sense because we were on the same floor, but it didn't make me feel any better. In fact, it made me scared out of my gourd.

All of this was happening within seconds. Big, overgrown, muscle bound Mario crawled out of the window at the end of the hall like a ballerina doing Swan Lake. I stuck my head out the window and saw him crawling like a Gecko along the brick wall towards the windows of the room we wanted to break into. He looked into the window and indicated to me that there were two in the corners, but Riane, Greg and Dieter were nowhere to be seen.

I whispered to him, "Can you handle them?"

He nodded with a big grin, showing me his gun. I found it amusing that a vampire was going to use silver bullets to take out two Guardians.

"I'm going after Greg."


	25. Chapter 20 Part II

**Chapter 20 Part II**

**The Bender**

Grateful that she didn't have to wall walk, Kiara made her way towards the only door that they hadn't gone through. Since all of the Guardians were on the east side, I suspected Dieter would be too. He wouldn't want his guards 'half-way to Texas' away from him.

House unstrapped the little girl and was checking the wounds when they heard the first of the shots. Dieter ran to the door then out to the hall and listened to the repeated sounds of a gun. Running back into the room, Dieter saw that House was still examining the baby.

Dieter looked around the room as if he was trying to locate something. "We're under attack. The vampires are here and they're going to want her. We need to cut her head off."

House pulled back his head in shock. "_She's a little child, you can't sincerely believe that she can hurt you? She doesn't even have fangs!_"

"But, she has the buds for them. This creature is the end to humanity."

"Hardly. Look at her; she's scared to death of you!"

"Give her to me, I'll do it." Dieter said, sweat pouring off his forehead. He held out his arms for the girl.

"No!" House shook his head and continued to clean the wounds.

"House, this is serious, you need to give the vampire to me."

House stepped between Dieter and the child, not sure if he was doing the wise thing. But something inside said that he needed to protect the little girl, she needed him.

"Look, Dieter, we don't know that vampires will make it up here. Have some faith in your troops."

"No, there's no time. Step aside or I'm going to have to shoot you."

House looked at the .38 and debated. He started to step away, this wasn't his fight or his child. But something felt wrong about leaving her defenseless and House found himself back in between the two of them. "I can't. She's not hurting you and she's part mortal. It's murder."

"I don't have time to argue." He aimed at House's heart, which was six feet away and pulled the trigger.

House steeled himself for the impact, but it didn't come. Looking up, he saw Dieter trying to un-jam the gun. House grabbed the little girl and ran for the door, but had to get past Dieter who quickly blocked House and began pulling at his arms to get the little girl. Knocking the gun out of Dieter's hand, House tried again for the door, but was tripped by Dieter who locked onto Riane again. Being stronger than Dieter, House was winning the fight until Dieter reached over and grabbed a scapel, trying hard to stab the child. House put up a hand in a defensive posture and cried out as the scalpel went straight through the flesha nd muscle of his hand. Dieter yanked and was able to wrestle Riane from his arms. House pulled the scalpel carefully out, throwing it on the floor. Dieter was furiously wrapping an extension cord around the little girl's neck, pulling it tight as the baby cried and turned red in the face.

First House pulled on the child, but Dieter wasn't giving her up. So House took aim and landed the hardest right cross he could deliver. His hand felt like it was shattering from the force of the impact. Pulling it back and screaming, House noticed he had landed a well placed blow and that Dieter was wavering. One quick tug and House had the screaming child in his hands. Trying to untangle the cord from her neck, House grew frustrated when it wasn't budging; Dieter had managed to tie the cord in ways that made it impossible for House to undo in time. The child had stopped crying and was turning blue. Then he saw it, the bloody scalpel was sitting in the corner. He knelt down with Riane in his arms and began cutting the cord, relieving the constriction.

Just as he took a sigh of relief, he felt it--the sharp blow of the bowl on his head.

_What the f—_

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

I took a deep breath, wondering if I should open the door quickly or slowly. In the dark I decided I had the advantage if I opened the door quickly and moved quickly. I burst through the door only to find another door which, judging from the small anteroom, must be a room large enough to have surgical equipment and a bed.

I threw open the door just in time to see Greg hunched over in the corner by the examination bed with his back to the center of the room. Above him was Dieter, whaling on him with a stainless steel bowl.

"Hey Dieter." I yelled.

He whipped around, staring into the space around me, but he obviously couldn't see me since the room was pitch black.

"Say hello to my _leeetel_ friend." I aimed and with two shots, both through his head, he fell to the floor.

There was no sign of my baby. "Greg, where's Riane?"

He stood up and my heart leapt into my throat when I saw that he was hunched over my little girl, protecting her. He had blood coming down his head from several blows from the bowl. I ran over and grabbed Riane and then helped Greg to the ante-room so that he could sit in the oversized couch.

"Greg. You look like you have a cracked skull. We can wait to take you to the hospital or you could use my blood to recuperate, but we'll be back to square one with the blood-bond."

"No, you better check the baby. She needs your blood more than me."

I looked down at my baby and, even in the dark, I could see she was bald and that there was a patch of skin missing from her arm. My voice caught in my throat. "They really did it. I didn't think that they could do that to a little toddler. How could they be so cruel?"

"Can you turn on the lights? It's really weird talking to you and not be able to see where you are." Greg asked.

The door opened and I whipped around with my gun, but it was Mario.

"Yo, Kir! It's me!"

"Mario, turn on the lights. I need to treat Riane and Greg."

Mario disappeared down the hall. Turning to Greg, I grabbed some wads of gauze and started to pat the wounds on his head. The lights came on.

Greg's eyes flew open as he stared over my shoulder. "Ahhhhhhh!"

Surprised by the girlie scream and frightened by the fear on his face, I followed Greg's point of view to over my shoulder. Turning with my gun, I was ready to shoot only to find my father standing behind me.

"Daddy! Why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to see the look on this traitor's face when the lights came on."

I gave him a dirty look and shook my head in disapproval. "Daddy, Greg saved Riane, you owe him an apology and your thanks. He got those wounds hovering over Riane as Dieter Kramer pounded him on the head with a large stainless steel bowl."

My father cocked his head. "Why didn't he just fight? Dieter is what? 5'10" and skinny. This guy is Six-two and 200 pounds!"

I had to admit, he had a point. "Greg?"

Greg explained what had happened. It made sense, especially when I looked down and saw a knife wound that had gone completely through Greg's hand with blood escaping at a rather fast rate.

We all turned to look at Riane in my arms and saw the marks of the cord around her neck. I let out a cry which startled Riane and made her cry. My father was furious, wanting to take revenge on all Guardians when he saw what they had done to his precious granddaughter.

"Daddy, give Riane your blood. I'm going to give Greg mine."

He shook his head. "Are you sure? It cost you $25,000 the last time to break the bond."

"I know, but it's worth it to me."

Shaking his head, my father sat in a chair, took Riane from my arms and slit his wrist with a pen knife, feeding Riane his blood. She began sucking like a Hoover. Greg's eyes opened wide.

"Wow, she likes that, doesn't she?" He wrinkled his face in disgust.

"Her body says she needs it. Besides, she hasn't fed for a month. She doesn't need much blood, maybe once every few weeks to a month. In fact, she often goes--"

"Do I look like I care?" Greg said sarcastically.

My father glared up at me. "Maybe he would care if --."

"Daddy!" I said, cautioning him with my tone of voice.

I took Daddy's penknife and slit my wrist, handing it to Greg.

He shook his head. "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Take it and I promise to get you the antidote."

"No thanks, just take me to the hospital."

"Greg, they have to report knife wounds and, frankly, you look like you've been in a fight where you got your ass whipped."

"Hey! I could have taken him if I hadn't had Princess Leah hanging on."

"Fine. I'll take you to the hospital. Mario, can you and your guys help Greg down to the car?"

"Get me something to wrap my hand in and I can walk." Greg said with a little too much macho bravado. I went into the other room and grabbed a towel, took a look at Dieter, felt my blood rise at the thought of him trying to choke my baby. I shot him again, just for the shits and giggles. Every vampire in the building descended on the room.

Greg was standing with all the other vampires staring at me like I was nuts.

"Acushla?" My father asked tentatively.

I looked at everyone and spit on the corpse. "He hurt my baby..."

I dropped Greg off at PPTH emergency while I parked the car. By the time I reached Emergency, Dr. Nigh already had Greg back in a cubicle treating him. I walked in and watched as they stitched him and then ordered x-rays for his head and his hand. As they wheeled him to Radiology, I walked beside him until we reached the waiting room.

I sat down and whispered, "I could still give you my blood and then you could ravish me when you heal like the last time."

"Yeah and then I can follow you around like a puppy dog."

"I promise to buy you the antidote."

"No thanks. I like being in control of my emotions."

"Honey, you haven't been in control of your emotions since you potty-trained. Why do you think you're so miserable?"

"Have you been conspiring with Wilson?"

"Speak of the devil." I pointed to the door and saw Wilson walking towards us.

"House! What happened?"

He pointed to me. "She likes it rough. I told her the upside down thing was too much, but I never thought she'd cut the cord and drop me on my head."

Jim rolled his eyes and bent over to look at his head wound. "Seriously, what happened?"

"I got into a fight with Buffy."

"Who?"

"A vampire slayer."

"Okay, I can see that you're not going to give me a serious answer so just tell me who the guy was at your apartment? I went over and he refused to let me inside, told me he was a houseguest and you were gone. But, he wouldn't tell me his name or how he knew you."

"Oh, that's my personal trainer."

"Personal trainer?" Wilson wasn't buying it. "He didn't look very healthy; he was white as a ghost."

"Yeah, well you would be too if you had to train me."

Jim put up his hands. "Fine, I'm not going to get a real answer so forget it. What's the diagnosis?"

"I need X-rays."

We waited while the x-rays were taken. I saw them and reviewed them with Jim before we wheeled Greg back to Emergency. Both Jim and I were worried because Greg was getting groggy and not making sense (more than usual.) There was a skull fracture and some signs of swelling.

By the time we wheeled him back to Emergency, Jim had contacted Foreman to come in and help with the diagnosis. Brain injuries can be reversible and sometimes they aren't. The idea that Greg could lose that brain of his or any portion of it because he protected my—our—daughter, made me sick to my stomach.

He was unconscious by the time Foreman arrived. They had taken him to prep him for surgery to drill a hole in his skull to relieve the pressure. I tried to get some alone time with him, but there was always someone with him. I didn't want him going into surgery without my blood to help him heal.

"Kiara, why are you with House tonight and what's up with all black?" Wilson asked.

"I wanted to talk to him, so we were going to meet. And sometimes I just like to wear black, okay?"

Jim smiled and held up his hands in surrender, "Okay! I wasn't complaining; it's just that I've always seen you in pretty, uh, you know, business stuff."

I wasn't really listening. I kept looking out the window to see if anyone was coming. I was so nervous I couldn't even think of an excuse to get Jim out of the room. I had maybe five minutes before they wheeled him into surgery. I finally broke.

"Oh, to hell with it! Jim, make sure no one comes in here."

He narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

"_Just do it!" _I yelled back.

He gave me a puppy dog look, as if I had kicked him in the tail.

I searched the drawers and found a pair of scissors. I drew it across my wrist, letting the blood drip onto Greg's lips. I tried to open his mouth, but his jaw was clenched, not unusual for someone in his state of consciousness.

"What are you doing?" Jim said, rushing over and pulling my arm away.

"Open his mouth for me."

"No! Have you gone mad?"

"Maybe, but Jim, please, let me do this."

He still had a grip on my arm, keeping it from Greg's lips. We struggled and when I wasn't getting anywhere I finally pulled out my big guns—I let my retractiles drop and I snarled at him.

He jumped back, hitting a tray and letting out a short cry of surprise. I pushed my wrist into Greg's mouth and watched hopefully. He didn't respond at first, but then I saw a slight movement in his lips and my whole body relaxed. Within a minute he was sucking the blood heartily.

Jim was standing a safe distance away from me, but he was mesmerized. "Are you really doing this? I'm confused. What are you?"

"I'm—"

Greg groaned and his eyes fluttered.

Jim's eyes bugged out when Greg turned and looked at him. "What happened?"

I saw Jim look to me for answers. Greg turned over to hear my answer. "I had to give you some of my blood. You had a brain hemorrhage and I couldn't chance brain damage."

"And Wilson saw you?"

I nodded and grinned.

Greg laughed.

"Why are you two laughing?" Jim asked suspiciously.

Greg smiled at him and shook his head lightly. "Because you, Wilson, are about to be dinner."

Before Greg could finish the sentence, I already had my retractiles in Jim's neck. I took a small amount of blood, not really needing it after all I had ingested earlier, but then I injected the narcotic that makes the victim forget. Wilson started to slump so I pulled him to a chair.

The nurses came in, took one look at the very alert Greg, and ran out the door again. The surgeon and Foreman both came into the room and the register of shock was palpable. They ran over and started reviewing his stats.

"Come on, let me go home now. I'm okay." Greg barked.

Foreman looked over at the slumped Wilson in the chair. "What's up with Wilson?"

"He told me he hasn't been sleeping well. I guess sitting and waiting finally got the best of him."

Foreman walked over and ran his hand under Wilson's nose. "Well, he's breathing." He ignored Jim and walked back over to Greg.

"I want an MRI. I want to see what happened." Foreman's brow suddenly pinched together as he leaned in and checked Greg's scalp wound which was well on its way to being healed. "Look at this." He said it to me.

I walked over and nodded. "Looks like its healing well."

"Too well. I mean the stitches are almost ready to come out and he just got them an hour ago. It doesn't make sense."

Greg groaned in frustration, "I've been taking a lot of vitamins, now come on, let me go."

"Not tonight. Maybe you can go home in the morning if your MRI looks good."Foreman said.

I stayed out of the conversation, waiting for Jim to come through. After they took Greg up for an MRI, I heard Jim start to stir. He opened his eyes and immediately perked up when he realized he was in the hospital.

He started patting himself to see if there was any damage to his body, "Why am I here?"

"You came to see Greg, he was mugged."

"I did?"

"You fell asleep. I take it you haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Yeah, I did have a rough night last night. How's House?"

"He's going to be just fine." I was getting antsy, wanting to get home with my daughter. But I knew she was okay, she was getting the best blood in the vampire kingdom, better than mine. Still, I desperately wanted to hold her. It was taking forever for Greg to get back. I stood and turned to Jim, "I'm going to take off, my daughter is just getting over the flu and I'd like to check on her. Tell Greg to call me."

"Does he know?" Jim asked.

"Know what?"

"That he's the father?"

I gasped and sat back down. Trying to gain my composure, I took a deep breath and shook my head. "What makes you think Riane is Greg's?"

He chuckled. "The eyes, the hair, the face, the look of intelligence—"

"Oh, so I don't have a look of intelligence?"

"No, no, I don't mean that. She just gave me the same look that House does sometimes, like she was studying me. It's rude in a fifty year old, endearing in a toddler."

I swallowed and looked around. "I've been living with another man; he has beautiful blue eyes too."

Wilson tried to keep from smiling. "So she _is_ House's. Why don't you tell him?"

"I just told you—"

"It's not what you said; it's what you didn't say. You didn't say that she wasn't House's and you didn't say she was the daughter of the man you're living with. You tried diversion and subterfuge; no wonder House is infatuated with you."

"What?"

"For the last two years he's Googled you every day. Whenever he has a fight with Lana, he starts talking about how brilliant you are, how sexy you are, how patient you are, how forgiving you are…if he's not in love with you, he's certainly infatuated."

"Really? Then why hasn't he called me?"

"You just said you're living with someone."

"But, it's not like that. I just needed somewhere to go to have the baby, somewhere that made me feel safe. Caleb—the guy I was with—is an old friend of the family and so I stayed with him."

"Maybe that wasn't it. Did you have a fight with House? He has a long memory and it takes him even longer to forgive."

"That must be it, because he thinks I lied to him. In a way he's right."

"Well, what are you going to do about your daughter?"

"If you know, then he must."

"I think deep down he does, but as long as you're willing to put up with the masquerade, he'll ride it for all it's worth. He's not good with owning up to his responsibilities. And you probably know that children were never on his agenda."

Jim didn't know it, but his words cut to the quick. Jim knew Greg better than anyone else. If Greg knew that Riane was his daughter and he was willing to ignore his own daughter, then I was a fool to be in love with him. I wanted to run home and hug my daughter, let her know that I wanted her no matter what her father thought. I made up my mind at that moment that I would return to England and to Caleb, that I would commit to our relationship all of the way. Caleb was willing to be the father that Greg refused to be.

Jim must have seen the light go out in my eyes. "You're going to tell him, right?"

"If he chooses to ignore her, then I'm not going to rock the boat. She has Caleb, the man I'm living with, in her life and he treats Riane like a daughter. It's not as if she doesn't have a father figure."

Jim shook his head and looked at his feet. "I shouldn't have said that he probably knows. What if he doesn't? What if I'm wrong and he wants to be a father?"

I took a deep breath. _He did save her life. Maybe he did that because he knew. I should give him time to come around. What if he doesn't know? No, Jim is right, Greg's too bright, he solves riddles, reads people. He knows._

"We both know that if you figured it out, he figured it out too."

Jim gave me a little nod. He looked so sad and guilty that I leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Jim, it's for the best. Greg doesn't want to be a father and Caleb does. We'll all be just fine. Let it be." I walked out the door and went home to my beautiful little girl. Walking through the door, I ran up the stairs to the nursery only to find Riane fast asleep, her arm almost completely healed, and my father sitting in a chair reading a novel.

He smiled up at me. "Well, how is your mortal?"

"He's going to be fine, but I'm going to need that potion after all. His brain started to swell so I had to give him my blood."

"He's going to want sex with you when gets out of the hospital."

"I'll be gone. I'm going back to England."

My father put his book down. "Acushla, you just arrived. I was looking forward to a summer with you and my granddaughter."

"Daddy, I just can't stay knowing…"

"Knowing what?"

"It doesn't matter. Can you arrange for the potion?"

"Of course I can. But, once he has the potion, there will be no need for you to leave. He won't feel that bond anymore. Please stay, Acushla."

"Daddy, once Riane completely heals I'd like to go. I promise to return in a few months. It's just that, after all of this, I need to regroup. Does that make sense?"

He pursed his lips and nodded, pulling me over to give me a hug. I felt so safe, so loved, that I began to cry. He said nothing, just allowed me my breakdown as he hugged me and rubbed my upper arm. My father always smells so good, so clean and woodsy. It gave me great comfort to be able to smell something that when I was a child I associated with love and devotion.

My father left the room, allowing me to take over the watch. The large, overstuffed chair pulled out into a twin bed. I made it up and crawled in, grabbing a few magazines to read. I fell asleep around two in the morning dreaming of my childhood in Ireland.


	26. Chapter 21 Part I

**Chapter 21**

**Deliverance**

Greg House wasn't a happy camper. He wanted to go home. No, that wasn't quite what he wanted--he wanted to have sex with Kiara, but Foreman insisted that he stay. He buzzed for a nurse to bring him a sleeping pill, but no one came. At least no one came within the few seconds he allotted. He threw the covers off and walked out to the nurses' desk which guarded the entrance to the ward. Demanding that someone call Foreman and get a sleeping pill prescribed, the nurse, a veteran, went toe to toe with House. After a few minutes of screaming, House returned to his room mumbling to himself. As he opened the door, he jumped back, letting out a cry of shock. Sitting in the seat next to his bed was Sean Larkin, dressed in a silk, black suit with a deep blue and black pinstriped shirt. The shoes were obviously hand tooled Italian.

"How the hell did you get in here? You have to get by the nurses' desk. I didn't see you and I'm very observant."

Sean raised a dark eyebrow, "Does it matter Greg?"

"Greg? You're calling me Greg?"

Shrugging he said, "Why not? You insist on calling me Sean."

House looked at his bed, but wasn't sure he wanted to lie down with Sean right next to it. He didn't feel safe. "What do you want?"

Sean reached into his pocket and brought out a small vial of liquid, placing it on the adjacent side table. "Your potion to break the bond. Kiara asked me to get it for you. I also wanted to thank you for saving my granddaughter tonight."

Not saying anything, House nodded an acknowledgement and walked towards the bed; still unsure as to whether he should get that physically close to Lord Larkin. He motioned to the vial on the table. "I take that and this…whatever…goes away?"

"You're desire right now to have sex with my daughter will disappear—"

House snickered, "I doubt that."

"—and you won't feel the need to follow her when she goes back to Caleb tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow?_ I thought she was staying here for the summer?"

"I'm not sure why she feels the need to run back to Caleb. They are roommates, but not lovers." He paused to let that sink in. "However, she's always considered Caleb a safe port in a storm. This potion will make you—"

"Nauseated. Yeah, I know. Are you sure that Caleb is just a roommate?"

"Believe me, Greg, he wishes it wasn't. Makes you wonder _who she's waiting for_?" Sean stood up and smiled. "Again, thank you. When you're well I hope you'll join me for dinner so that I can thank you appropriately. Good evening, Greg."

House watched him leave, but Sean did so with such little effort that it almost seemed as if he evaporated. House put his head back on the pillow and cursed up at the acoustic ceiling. Something had been nagging him about the little girl and now he realized what it was. It wasn't her eyes; it was the brown hair. Caleb was blonde and so was Kiara. Because blond hair is from a recessive gene, the father would have to be a brunette, like him.

House threw the covers off and dressed in the blood soaked clothes that he had been wearing earlier. He called a cab, grabbed the vial and then had the cabbie let him off at his apartment. While warming up the shower, House looked into the mirror and noticed that his wounds were almost healed. It reminded him that the potion was still in his pants pocket. Pulling it out, he unscrewed the top and drank the liquid. While he showered, he felt the familiar queasiness, but it passed by the time he was out of the shower.

Choosing dark blue Levis and a brown t-shirt with a blue shirt thrown over it, he grabbed his keys and was out the door. Day was breaking in Princeton and the long shadows made the city seem more sleepy than usual. House pulled into the Larkin drive and drove the quarter mile up to the front door.

Knocking on the door, a female servant came to answer. The woman was probably in her early thirties or maybe her late twenties. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't pretty. Her face was a little too narrow, her hair a strange mousy color, her body too tall for her arms, but she had a pleasant smile. "Good morning, Dr. House, we've been expecting you. Your breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, make yourself at home."

"You were expecting me?"

"Lord Larkin informed us that we would have a guest for breakfast. That we were to provide you with whatever you need and allow you access to Princess Riane's room. He told us that the guest would be Princess Kiara's friend, Gregory House and then he described you to a tee. Would you prefer to wait in the dining room for your breakfast?"

"Where's Kiara?"

"She's asleep in Princess Riane's bedroom."

House thought about it for a second and decided that Sean Larkin was a better schemer than House. "I'll have breakfast first before I go upstairs."

House walked into the dining room and looked around. The wallpaper was a gray embossed silk with a gorgeous wood wainscoting. The long English cherry table could easily seat eighteen for dinner. The room was so large that the table looked small. House took a seat next to the marble fireplace that was currently housing a large fern. The servants soon walked in with a tray and several serving dishes which were placed in front of him. The lavish breakfast consisted of poached eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, fried tomatoes, hash browns, grilled mushrooms, waffles and pure maple syrup. House spent a half hour devouring the food. Letting a loud burp escape, he heard a little giggle from behind him. Turning, he saw a young teenage girl dressed in a servant's uniform. She stepped forward and removed the dishes, leaving him with his coffee. House stretched and then went upstairs, taking the left towards Kiara's room.

The door to her bedroom was open and her bed was still made. He walked across the hall to another bedroom and opened the door discovering an upscale Disneyland. There were so many toys for a little girl that House wondered if any one child could play with all of them. Lying on a twin bed in the middle of the room was Kiara, fast asleep. He couldn't believe how beautiful and serene she looked lying on the pillow.

Standing in the crib was his daughter, Riane, jumping up and down, her little fists gripping the crib tightly. Her wounds were almost healed as were his. House smiled at her; Riane smiled back. He walked over and put his arms out for her. She studied him for a minute and then relaxed, letting him pick her up. Cradling her in his right arm, he examined her little face and head. Her hair had not grown back making her look like an Auschwitz orphan with her big blue eyes. He went out into the hall and took her downstairs. As he carried her, his heart fluttered when he noticed the little birthmark on her scalp, just above her ear, close to where his own birthmark was located.

The servants all ran around to make sure that Riane was fed. House put her in her high chair and watched as they brought bananas, cereal and juice. Riane watched House watch her as she fed herself, crying and waving her fists whenever someone tried to feed her.

"You're pretty independent aren't you?" House said to her.

She grinned, banana smeared all over her lips and cheeks.

"You think you're going to win me over, don't you?"

The urchin let out a high screech and laughed.

House tried not to laugh at her, but he couldn't resist. She looked so happy and ornery with the food smeared on her face.

The servant, a matronly woman with a very kind face, ran out and wiped Riane's mouth clean, then took off her bib. Riane reached out to House to be held. The servant looked over at House, giving him a look of expectation, wondering why he wasn't caving in to the little girl's wishes to be picked up.

House rolled his eyes. "She's quite the little dictator, isn't she?"

"She's really a good little girl. But, I hear she's a lot like her father."

He blinked, "You did? Who told you that?"

"Princess Kiara. Riane was throwing food at all of us and she mentioned that it reminded her of Riane's father."

House went over and picked her up. The servant handed him a plastic bag of Cheerios.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Cheerios. It's a snack if she gets hungry while you're playing with her."

"Playing?"

"There's a playground out back for her." The older woman said as she walked towards the kitchen. "But, I'd change her diaper first; she smells a little ripe." The woman disappeared through the door.

House took a whiff and had to agree. He went into the kitchen to demand that she change Riane's diaper, but the woman was gone. House looked around downstairs and found a changing table in the corner of the kitchen.

"Well, I guess it's you and me." He pulled down the pajama bottoms and then undid the tabs on the diaper as Riane watched, staring as if she was going to give House a grade at the end of the exercise. The diaper was saturated with pee and the smishy plop of poop. "That's disgusting." He rolled the diaper and threw it into the little stainless steel trashcan. After wiping her butt with diaper wipes and putting on a clean diaper, he looked around and found some clothes in the drawer under the table some clothes. He chose a pair of red and pink plaid shorts and then paired it with a blue polka-dot shirt. Rolling her back into his arms he put her down on the floor.

"Come on you lazy sod, move that diapered butt. We're going to go swing."

Riane stopped and looked up at her father, raising her hand for him to take it.

"Do I have to do everything?" He chided her.

"Mummy? Play?" She asked.

"Mummy? You mean, Mommy. No, Mommy is asleep. _I should be asleep!_ But, if you're going to go home tomorrow, you should know your real Dad. Start getting used to me, kid; I plan on teaching you how to choose a single malt whiskey, listen to jazz and play the guitar."

He walked her out the back French doors and was amazed at the playground on the south lawn. It had flood lights, which would make sense if your grandfather, the vampire, ever wanted to bring you out to play. There was a toddler swing set and a big kid's swing set. Several jungle gyms, a sand box and three castle-like fortresses with slides ringed the little merry-go-round in the middle. House was impressed; Sean apparently took being a grandfather rather seriously.

After a half hour, House had decided that he was through playing, but Riane had different ideas. When he tried to take her in, she grabbed the merry-go-round bar and hung on for dear life. He had to pry her fingers off as she cried.

"No, no, no…" she cried out.

House was surprised at not only the strength of those little fingers, but how stubborn she was. Kicking her legs out, House had to tuck her under his arm to keep from getting pummeled. "Damn it Riane; wait until your mother wakes up, then throw your tantrum."

He put her down and she made a beeline back out to the merry-go-round. House tried to find a servant to go with her, but none were around. Cursing he went back out and played another hour with her until he was barely able to keep from falling asleep.

Taking her back inside he tried to explain, "Look, Daddy needs a nap. I'm going up to your Mommy's room and take a nap. Now you can stay downstairs and shoot some pool or whatever toddlers do, but I'm dead on my feet."

House started walking up the stairs, surreptitiously looking back to see if he was being followed. The courageous toddler was holding onto the stiles of the stairs and walking up them by putting one leg on the next step and pulling the other up to meet it. House tried not to find it charming, but after each step she kept looking up to him for approval. There was no getting around the fact that she was cute, she was bright and she was his.

"Okay, you've mastered step climbing 101. Come back when you've mastered it after a pint of Maker's Mark."

They reached the landing and House made a beeline for Kiara's room. He opened the door and looked down. Riane was pointing across the hall at her room, "Mummy."

"Mommy—you're in America, learn to speak English—Mommy. Yeah, well leave Mommy alone, she's trying to sleep. I'm going in here. You can watch the cartoon channel while Daddy sniffs your Mommy's underwear."

House kicked his sneakers off, took the remote and turned on the flat screen over the fireplace and then fell back on the bed. Watching a little Sponge Bob, he was surprised when Riane came over and sat on his chest, taking up residence while she watched the cartoon. House closed his eyes and before the next commercial was snoring.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xbreak

Kiara woke up and looked over at the crib. She wasn't surprised that Riane was missing. The servants had probably been in to get her when she woke up. Getting up, she went downstairs to find her, but she wasn't down there.

"Patricia? Where's Riane?"

"I'm not sure Princess, she's somewhere around her."

"Who's watching her?"

"Her father."

"You mean my father? Is she in the cellar?"

Shaking her young head, Patricia pointed upstairs. "The last I saw them, they were headed upstairs."

Kiara furrowed her brow, wondering what her father was doing up in daylight. She ran up the stairs and saw that the only door closed was her bedroom. Opening it she gasped.

The television was tuned to the cartoon network and there laying in the middle of the bed with her head on House's stomach was Riane. House's mouth was open and he was snoring. Kiara felt her whole world spinning. What happened between two am and ten am when she went to sleep? Had there been some planetary alignment marking the end of the world?

Riane lifted her head and grinned at her mother. Standing up she tried to cross over House to the side of the bed where her mother was standing, but her tiny foot plopped right on House's testicles.

"Mother fucker!" His body came up at a right angle, his hands going to his balls.

Riane fell back, her butt landing on the bed next to her Dad, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Greg! Your language!"

He was wincing in pain, holding his package in his hands. "She better get used to it; she's going to hear worse if she goes around busting balls like that."

Kiara reached over House and picked Riane up, giving her a huge kiss and a hug. She pointed to House and said, "Do you know who this is? Come on pumpkin, who is this?"

The little girl looked confused.

"This is Dr. House."

House rolled his eyes and turned on his side. "She already knows I'm her father; we had the birds and the bees discussion while you were asleep. I told her that her mother was a slut and forgot to take the pill and if I ever find out she's pregnant and unmarried, I'm cutting her out of the will."

"Greg! Watch your mouth! She absorbs more than you can imagine."

"Good, then the lesson I gave her this morning on STDs sunk in. Now, can you two leave? I need to sleep. It's your turn to entertain the munchkin."

Kiara wasn't sure what to do. But, by the time she was ready to ask a question, he was snoring again. Putting Riane down, Kiara took her hand and led her out into the hallway. It was only then that she noticed Riane's outfit.

"I see you have your father's taste."


	27. Chapter 21 Part II

**Chapter 21 Part II**

**Deliverance**

"Did I wake you?" I asked, still whispering as if he were asleep.

"Yes."  
"I'm sorry, I was just going to grab the suitcase to pack up the baby's clothes for the trip."

"Trip? I thought you were staying for the summer?" The big blue eyes were searching mine, to see what I was going to do.

"I changed my mind. I'm going back tomorrow, maybe we'll come back later in the summer."

"You're doing this because you didn't want me to find out about the munchkin?"

I sat down on the bed and picked at the duvet. "Wilson told me that you never wanted children. Caleb loves Riane. I thought the answer to our problems was for me to go home to Caleb and you to remain in your little cocoon."

"Crappy plan." He said.

"No it wasn't and you know that."

"You made assumptions about me. You had no right to do that."

I felt sheepish. "Maybe, but answer me one question. Did you want children?"

"Hell, no. But, that's not the right question. The real question is, 'Hey, Greg, your little men hit the mark, what do you want to do about it?'"

I turned and stared straight into his eyes. "Hey, Greg, you have a daughter; what do you want to do with about it?"

He paused for effect. "I'd like to get to know her."

I swallowed and felt a tear going down my cheek. "So that you can then push her out of your life when you get bored?"

"If you think that's what I'll do, why did you ever let me get nasty with you?"

"I never thought in a million years a vampire could get pregnant. I knew that I had periods, but I didn't think I had eggs or ovulated. It was a surprise to everyone."

"Well, I don't think kids are boring, just adults. When she turns 18, you can keep her."

"I have to admit that you're taking this better than I thought."

"Maybe Mayfield worked. Am I on her birth certificate?"

"Yes, I didn't want there to be any doubts about her American citizenship."

"Fine, now get out, I need to sleep."

I nodded and stood up. "I have a confession to make."

He opened an eye and looked up. "Well?"

"I haven't had sex in almost two years." I started towards the door, but a hand grabbed my wrist.

"Oh, well played." He said, grinning.

His long fingers reached up to the waist of my pants where his fingers ran along the skin of my abdomen. It tickled slightly. His eyes stayed focused on mine as he pulled me closer by tugging on my waistband. The pink tongue licked my belly button, licking it, leaving it warm and wet. The zipper came down and he tugged the black pants over my hips and down to my knees revealing the nude colored bikini panties. Sitting up, Greg kissed me just above my pubic bone. Then he grabbed around my ass and pulled me onto the bed.

"For someone who hasn't had sex, you aren't doing much to get this party started."

"I was just enjoying the touch of your hands on my body. It's been a long time."

I pulled on his shirt, helping him unclothe his long arms. The t-shirt was faster to remove. Before I threw it on the floor I took a huge whiff of it, reminding me of Greg's musk, exciting me almost as much as the touch of his hands on my body. My shirt joined his on the floor and before long we were both in our underwear. Part of me wanted to stop it and ask him if this was for real? Was this the start of something new—something based on honesty?

He saw that I was in my head so he quickly kissed me, letting his tongue probe just inside my mouth. We kissed while his body began to press rhythmically against mine. I ran my hands up his bare back and down the back of his boxers, cupping the cheeks of his ass in my palms.

Greg reached around and undid my bra, pulling it over one arm and then the other. He paused to first look at my breasts, then ran his fingers lightly down them and around my pink areolas.

"Your breasts are larger, rounder." He leaned in and nipped my nipple lightly. When his tongue flittered against the tip of nipple, I felt the blood rush to my groin.

As if he knew this, his hand slipped down my panties and he lifted up to look into my face. "God, you're wet." Pulling his fingers from my legs to his nose, he smiled. "You still smell hot, dusky. I love your smell."

I pulled my panties off and whispered into his ear, "I know this sounds like a cliche, but I want you to stop talking and start--"

He didn't let me finish, he covered my mouth with his and yanked his boxers down. In seconds he had found the warm, moist entrance and was already probing, opening the lips with his erection. He stopped, lifted his body above mine and then picked me up, throwing me further onto the bed to give him a better angle. I bounced a little as he maneuvered into position, pulling my legs open and then guiding himself through my lips. Every nerve ending he touched with his hard, thick, shaft, sent wonderful sizzling sensations through my body. I let out a moan and started to match the rhythm of his thrust.

He was grunting, but otherwise, he said nothing. We were rushing to our mutual orgasms. I started to come first, having been starved for physical touch and attention for so long. I screamed so loud, Greg started laughing at me. Every nerve ending in my breasts and between my legs was on fire. My retractiles slipped down and without thinking I bit him on the shoulder.

He cried out, "Oh, Christ!"

I sunk them in deeper, injecting the nectar that would make his ejaculation not only last longer, but feel as if he was no longer in contact with this world. He would feel better than any street drug could. The endorphins and serotonin release in his brain would be off the charts. Greg couldn't rise up with my teeth in his neck, but he didn't need to. He bucked over and over until he actually let out a little whimper.

"No more, I can't take it." His voice came out in a hampered whisper.

I pulled my retractiles out and let him collapse in a heap on top of me.

He didn't talk at first, his breathing was too labored. Rolling onto his back he swallowed hard. "You can't do that each time we have sex. One, I'll get addicted to it and two, I think I'll die.

"I'm sorry, but Riane should be waking from her nap soon and her first stop is usually Mommys room. This is what I think parents call a quickie. I needed to make sure you were happy before her little face appears in a few minutes."

Greg looked down at his wilted package and nudged me. "Throw me my boxers."

I rolled to the end of the bed and grabbed his boxers off the floor. He pulled them on just in time. The door opened, Riane stuck her head inside, saw that we were looking at her, grinned an ran towards the bed. She tried to get up on the bed, but it was still too high for her to pull herself up. Greg gave her a hand and helped pull her up. Riane took one look at me and pointed.

"Mommy want dress?"

"Mommy is going to take a shower."

Greg raised his eyebrows anticipating some shower action. "Daddy's dirty too. He needs a shower."

"Ri-ri dirty?"

"What?" Greg turned to me.

"Ri-ri is her name for herself. She's asking if she can take a shower too. She needs a bath, so maybe I'll take a bath and you can take a shower."

"But, what about our mutual back scrubbing? You know I can't reach all the way down my back."

"You'll live." I said laughing at him.

By five-thirty everyone was cleaned up and we were sitting in the kitchen feeding Riane when Daddy came up from the cellar. He smiled at Greg. "Good evening Greg. I see you're not as dense as I thought."

"What does that mean?" I asked my father as he went over and gave Riane a kiss on her cheek. He checked Riane's arm and we both saw that she didn't have her wounds anymore.

"Daddy, Greg is going to need that potion to break the bond."

My father turned to Greg who nodded. Then he turned back to me, "I've already given it to him."

My mouth dropped open. "Did you take it?"

"Uh-huh."

"But we had sex!"

My father tried not to laugh, "I believe two people can have sex even when there isn't a blood bond. Some call it lust. Others might call it love."

"Daddy gave you the potion?" I said, more accusatory than curious.

"Acushla, I dropped the potion off for Greg early this morning."

"And you took it?" I asked Greg.

He leaned back in the wooden chair, stretching his long legs in front of him like a pair of child's stilts. "Yep."

"You came here even though you weren't bonded and you--" I looked at my father and lowered my voice to whisper, "You made love to me?"

In a normal voice, loud enough for Daddy to hear him, he answered, "I did come back and I wouldn't call that making love necessarily. You called it a quickie."

I blushed and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father frown.

"Greg, my daughter's sex life is really none of my business. You don't have to advertise it to the world." Daddy said it with the air of contempt that only those who have been bred in the 1800's can give.

Greg shrugged and put his arms up behind his head to demonstrate that he was unruffled and had done nothing wrong. "I just don't want her to think I had sex because of some stupid blood swap."

My father picked Riane out of the highchair, kissing and hugging her as he did. Riane was obviously comfortable in her grandfather's arms as she accepted his affection, then returned it by throwing her arms around his neck and planting a big kiss on his lips. She pointed at Greg and then tried to explain to Daddy who he was.

"Mommy-friend."

Daddy nodded, "Yes, he's Mommy's friend, but he's also your Daddy."

Riane looked at Greg with suspicion, the stare lasting an inordinate amount of time, causing Daddy and I to laugh. Riane had a habit of staring so hard that she often made others uncomfortable.

"She obviously wants to digest the idea that Greg could have fathered her before passing judgment." Daddy said.

Riane finally wiggled enough that Daddy let her down. Running over to Greg, she crawled up his outstretched legs like a ladder and into his lap, rubbing her hand on his beard. "Hurt?"

"No, it's a beard. It's hair, but if I rub you, it might just hurt, like this." Greg rubbed his chin over her cheek, causing Riane to pull back, giving Greg a look that she might cry. "Oh, suck it up. You think just because you look cute you can cry and get sympathy? Remember, you won't always be small and enchanting. In fifteen years you're going to be covered in spots and about as enchanting as Nancy Pelosi. You're going to have to toughen up."

Riane, ignoring Greg's rebuke, put her head on Greg's chest and started babbling, but saying nothing that anyone could understand. The picture of Riane lying on Greg's chest cheerfully chirping away, made Daddy and I smile at each other. Greg stood still as if a butterfly had landed on his chest and he was afraid of disturbing it. The look of genuine amazement on his face was touching, especially as I didn't believe that Greg would be as affected by his daughter as he obviously was.

It was close to Riane's bedtime. Once she found a soft place to curl up, she and her full tummy were content and soon her sleepy eyes surrendered to sleep. We had all been talking for about an hour when Greg finally noticed that she was fast asleep.

"Now what?"

"She's had a bath. Normally she'd get a diaper change right after dinner, but there's a wise proverb, 'Never wake a sleeping baby,' so I think it's best that she just be put down in her crib."

Greg slowly sat up and cradled her in his arms. I offered to pick her up, but Greg shook his head. "I've got this."

He picked her up and started out of the room. I started to follow, but my father called out to me. "Acushla!"

I turned to look at him.

"Let him do it." My father mouthed so Greg didn't hear.

I stopped, realizing that Daddy wanted me to leave Greg alone with Riane. The two, now Riane's arm over Greg's shoulder went upstairs on their own.

I must have looked nervous because my father chuckled. "It's just putting her in her crib and turning out the light. The more he does on his own for her, the closer he'll feel to Riane. There's nothing that tugs on your heart more than to see Riane asleep in her bed looking like an angel."

I swallowed and nodded, realizing he was right. Greg would be less focused on proving something to me and more focused on Riane if I wasn't hovering over him.

"Daddy, did you tell him that Riane is his daughter?"

"No, he came to that conclusion himself. I don't think it's wise to run back to England now that he's taken an interest. Riane should know her father, even if he is a mortal and a jerk."

"He's not really a jerk."

My Dad raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, he's a jerk, but he can be sweet too."

"I'll have to take your word for that. I can say that he has a genuine affection for you, perhaps even loves you. "

"Really?"

"Don't be daft child; he's here, accepting fatherhood when he's been given every opportunity to deny it, he has to love you. Greg House doesn't strike me as the kind of man that steps up to his responsibilities; rather, I suspect, he runs like hell from them."

"But, he's a curious man and I'm sure he's curious about his daughter."

"There's many ways for him to satisfy his curiosity without accepting responsibility for her well being."

"That doesn't prove he loves me, it proves he cares about his daughter."

"Then why does he want you to stay?"

I could say that he wanted sex or he wanted to harass me. But, for the last few years he'd had a sexual partner, granted she was gone, but only recently, it wasn't as if he'd had a dry spell and needed to get his leg over right away. And as far as harassing, Greg tended to only harass people who he either detested or he cared about. I didn't think I was on the detest list.

About ten minutes after taking Riane upstairs, Greg was back in the dining room with Daddy and me. We were having drinks before dinner, waiting for Greg to join us. I noticed when he arrived that he had a little spittle on his shoulder. I was about to say something, when he turned his head and must have felt it on his collar. Looking down at the collar of his shirt, he grimaced.

"She drools more than I do after a good booze up."

We all laughed. He didn't even bother to try and clean it up. I found that endearing. The conversation turned to World War I and the Spanish Flu. Greg was engrossed in our descriptions of the epidemic crisis that gripped England and Ireland during the War. He asked intelligent questions and we spent the dinner trying to determine what it would look like today if the same flu hit the population. As we spoke, Greg slowly became aware that we were speaking in the first person, having personally experienced the effects of Spanish Flu on the population. He turned to me, eyes burning with the need to understand whatever was floating in his head.

"You're really old. You're dad is even older. But, you're dying...at what rate?"

"Great, thanks for reminding me." I chided. "My rate of aging appears to be accelerating; at least that's what I've determined from keeping track of my rate of cell death. It seems to have increased substantially when Riane was born. I think it has something to do the mixture of my fluids with hers. Caleb and I calculated algebraically that I have approximately 134 years left unless I have an accident."

My father gasped. "Acushla!"

Just from the stark stare and horror written on his face, I could tell that Caleb hadn't shared this information with my father even though we agreed that he would. "Oh, Daddy, we don't know for sure."

My father knocked back his drink and stared at me.

Greg chuckled, "So, you'll outlive me by or ninety or more years. What about Riane?"

I ignored my father's pain and responded. "We won't know until she hits puberty."

My father shook his head. "I thought we had centuries..."

"Hey, Sean, you can't complain, she's has a lot of years ahead of her, more than most people get."

"Easy for you to say. You aren't going to live for eternity." My father said with such an air of torment that it made me want to hug him.

Greg's demeanor changed and I saw a brief flutter of understanding; how lonely it must be for a vampire. Typically, their only family is their vampire sect, their birth families have usually died years before. My father had been lucky to have me in his life.

My father looked thirty, but he had the soul of a very old man who has had the luxury of having his daughter near and dear to him for over a century and a half. In a perfect world, he would have the satisfaction of dying before me and Riane, but he wouldn't. He had always known that he would one day bury me and now Riane. We rarely spoke of it because it pained him so much. I suspected that Caleb had probably tried to talk to my father and then saw how reticent he was to any suggestion of my death. More than likely, Caleb gave up and postponed the discussion for a later date.

"Sean, don't worry, if Kiara was able to have a baby, I'm sure Riane will be able to have children too. You'll have generations to look forward to."

Daddy looked down at his lap, still undeniably overwrought. Daddy finally spoke, "But, Greg, all Vampires have generations of their family living. But usually, at some point, one of the relatives decides that vampires are horrible creatures that should be destroyed . The family is repelled at the thought that their dead relative is running around sucking the blood out of the living. The family bond is broken. Typically it happens when the vampire is turned, sometimes later. No one wants to believe that their dead spouse, child, brother has become the living dead. Usually that ends the familial relationship overnight."

Greg looked away from my Dad. I think he was finally realizing the gravity of what my Dad was saying. Maybe, just maybe, he was wondering that if he were in my father's shoes, maybe he would have the same feelings about his own daughter?

"Let's not think of these things right now, let's eat." I said.

They both nodded and we sat down to our meal. Surprisingly, Greg, without meaning to be, was charming and as a result of his knowledge of history, we spent a pleasant night getting to know each other. I went up to bed at two am and let the men stay up drinking and talking over a game of billiards. I wasn't in bed half an hour and the door opened. I felt the warmth of my daughter's little body on my back and a pair of tiny lips kiss my ear. I turned and picked up the sheet to let her climb under, knowing that I should take her back to her own bed, but I wanted to hold her as much as she wanted to be there. The talk about family and death and burying your children hit home. It was possible that Rianne would have a substantially shorter life than mine and I might face my father's dilemma--how to bury your own child.

We cuddled and soon fell asleep. Later, I felt the bed depress and a motion followed by a, "What the fu—"

He'd obviously bumped into his daughter. I almost laughed, but didn't want him to know I was awake. Within a few minutes I heard some male snoring.

Around six there was a lot of bouncing on the bed. Opening my eyes, I focused and saw my daughter leaping up and down on the bed, giggling and squealing. I looked over at Greg and saw an eyeball following the jumping figure. There was no movement at first and then he sat up straight and caught her in midflight, pulling her back down to the bed.

"Daddy's head feels like a mushmellon and when you bounce on the bed, Daddy gets very, very upset."

Riane's face was frozen in shock, her eyes fixed on her father. I knew that in a minute she was going to begin to wail so I sat up and grabbed her from him.

"We'll go downstairs and you can sleep."

"But you need sleep too."

"Don't worry, I'll be back, her nanny will take care of her."

True to my word, I was back in bed within a half hour. Greg spooned me and we spent the next five hours in bed, sleeping. I had obviously decided to stay in Princeton.


	28. Chapter 22 Part I

**Chapter 22 Part I**

**When Worlds Collide**

One of the best and worst things about Greg is that he's essentially lazy. So when he had the opportunity to be waited on hand and foot, he chose to spend most of his time with me at my father's house. Living at our house gave everyone the opportunity to get to know each other. Typically, Greg would spend Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday nights with us. He spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday nights at his place, or that's what I thought. Of course there were a few regular nights he didn't make it home to my place or his own. I assumed that there were patients requiring his attention.

We spent some of our Sunday, Monday, Thursday or Friday evenings at his place until the baby spilt cranberry juice on his expensive area rug. After that, most of our evenings were in the library at my father's house, which we took over because my father entertained friends all night in the living room and dining room. My father would venture in on occasion to see his granddaughter, look for a book, pay bills, return correspondence or just to complain that there were too many toys in the library. On work nights, Greg would have to go to bed by eleven to make it into work by eight-thirty in the morning. That meant that he only had a few hours exposure to my father's company, which turned out to be a good thing.

The biggest surprise for me was Greg's involvement with the baby. The first time he disciplined her I was surprisingly upset. Something inside me screamed, "How dare you make my daughter sit on the time-out chair!" But then I quickly glanced at my father's face and when he saw me make a move to stop Greg he shook his head. It was a quick reminder that my daughter had a father and that her father was taking an active part in her life, including the hardest part, being the meany. I was lucky—so was she.

We had her vampire nanny stay with her once a week, usually on Friday, while we had a date. We always ended up back at Greg's place having what I thought was great sex and what he said was the best sex he'd ever had. Sadly, we rarely managed to have sex the rest of the week, mostly because we were parents and our circadian clocks didn't always jive.

A little over two months after the Guardian fiasco, we made the decision to invite Wilson over to get to know Riane. It wasn't an easy decision, but after Greg had been unavailable most weekends, Wilson started to feel neglected and demanded to know why. We thought the best thing to do was to invite him over for Sunday lunch at Greg's.

It was a muggy, hot day and Greg's air conditioner was acting up. The best we could cool the apartment to was a balmy 80 degrees. Riane was cranky and so was Greg. I was trying my best to cook a Sunday roast and keep the peace between the warring Houses'. Greg tried restraint, but no matter how calm he tried to be, whenever he told Riane to do something she cried. There was eventually a total meltdown with Greg yelling at her to stop crying and Riane crying even harder just to piss him off. I told Greg to go sit on the piano bench and I ordered Riane to sit on the contemplation chair in the kitchen where I could keep an eye on her. It worked. After the obligatory five minutes on the little, child-size chair, Riane calmed down and asked if she could get off. I told her to go apologize to her Daddy and then she could play. Wandering into the living room, she went over to the piano where her father was playing the Hungarian Rhapsody. Tugging on his Levis, Riane tried to get his attention. Greg stopped and looked down on her as I watched from the kitchen door.

"Have you come to make my life miserable again with your whining?"

Her little head tilted back and, with her fist still holding his Levis, she said in the sweetest little voice, "Sorry."

I held my breath knowing full well what Greg's tongue could do when he was in a piss poor mood. There was an ungodly silence and then he reached down and picked her up.

"Come here and help Daddy play this piece." He turned and took her little fingers in his and poked at the keys until she laughed.

I felt a tear come to my eye. I wanted to go over and hug him, kiss him, let him know how wonderful he was, but they needed this time to heal and I needed to get the roast out of the oven.

There was a knock on the door and a very surprised Wilson when Greg answered it holding Riane in his arms. He stuck his head inside and looked around completely bewildered. Walking in, he put a paper grocery bag on the table.

"House? I thought we were going to watch some baseball." He said with some hesitation. "I brought beer." Wilson walked to the door of the kitchen, bringing the bag with him. I smiled over at him. "Hello Kiara, something smells good."

"Didn't Greg tell you that you were coming for Sunday lunch?"

Wilson sighed with the frustration that comes with being House's friend. "I'm afraid not. Is that your little daughter he's holding?"

"Yes, you met her, Riane."

He turned and looked out to the living room, but Greg had disappeared with Riane to the bathroom. "Considering he's actually in physical contact with her, I suspect that he's figured out that she's his daughter?"

I tilted my head. "Yes, but I keep wondering, how did you know?"

"Besides looking a little like him, the age would be just about right for when he was in Italy."

"You figured it out before him." I said as I added the cornstarch to the gravy for the roasted potatoes. "Do you like Yorkshire Pudding?"

He nodded. "I figured it out before him only because he didn't want to figure it out."

"Perhaps."

"So, did you hear that Lana was killed in an automobile accident? They identified her and her friends from their dental records. Apparently the gas tank exploded."

"Yes, I heard. It's a real shame; I know she and Greg were close."

Wilson looked out in the living room where Greg and Riane were now playing on the floor. "Yeah, but I never thought they had the connection that he had with you. He often brings your name up, talked about you as if he missed you." He paused and sat down on the stool for a minute, "I think he's in love with you so I don't know why he's seeing her."

"Well she's dead, isn't she?"

He shook his head, "Oh, no, I don't mean Lana, I meant..." Wilson closed his mouth and blushed. Apparently he realized that I didn't have a clue who he was talking about. "That roast smells great."

I wanted to ask, but my pride wouldn't let me. I pretended not to notice his guffaw. "I just want him to have a relationship with his daughter right now. Can you take those plates and flatware out to the table?"

We spent the rest of the day with Wilson watching television and talking. Around three I put Riane down in Greg's room for a nap and we had a respite from her for an hour or so. I took her out for a short walk when the sun started to go down. Despite the heat, the day went really well and I think Wilson had a good time. Around seven Wilson left with a doggy bag of roast for sandwiches.

I was sitting on the couch with Riane asleep in my lap, her. I looked over at Greg who was engrossed in _The Closer_ and wondered, _who does he share his Saturday nights with?_

I know I shouldn't have followed him; I was better off in the dark, but from the moment Jim had suggested that Greg was seeing someone else, I ached all over. I kept telling myself that if Riane and I weren't enough for him, then I had to accept that. The one thing I had learned about love, especially from Caleb, is that you can't make anyone love you, let alone force them to be faithful. I also knew that you could have feelings for more than one person, although typically the feelings were stronger for one over the other, but still you could have more than one love in your life. I also learned this from Caleb, because as much as I loved Greg, I missed and loved Caleb too.

For days I wondered if we would ever come together as a real family. I tried to keep up a brave front, but Greg finally said that I was being a pain in the ass with my gloomy disposition.

"What's wrong?" He barked.

"Oh, I just don't feel that well. I'm a little tired. Trying to be a mother of a daylight- loving child is difficult for a vampire."

"A half-ass vampire."

"Right." I said with no inflection.

"Maybe you should come in for a check-up. Oh, by the way, I won't be around this Friday night, so maybe we could have our date on Thursday night?"

I wanted to ask him why, but I was too depressed. I figured if he told me there was someone else, I might splinter into pieces. I swallowed hard and ran my hand through my hair.

"Well, it's fine because I have to run back to England for a few days."

He sat up in the chair and turned to me, "When were you going to tell me?"

"I just did. And when were you going to tell me?"

He didn't respond at first. "Are you taking Riane?"

"Of course."

"When are you coming back?"

I hadn't planned on leaving so I hadn't planned on returning. "I'll be back in a week. Think you can live without us?"

"When are you going?"

"Uh, I think our plane takes off on Tuesday. We'll be back the next Monday."

Nodding, Greg took a drink of his beer. "Well, make sure you call and email me."

"I will."

There was a deep silence between us. I got up to go to the bathroom, but stopped when he asked, "Is it Caleb? Are you going back to Caleb?"

I looked at him. "Would it matter?"

He winced, jumped up and shook his head in frustration. "I'll see you next Tuesday. I'm going up to give Riane a kiss goodbye." Putting down his beer, he went upstairs and then a few minutes later I heard the front door close. I didn't even have the energy to cry.

He was easy to follow, especially since he thought we were out of the country. Tuesday night I watched as he left the hospital. I followed behind in my nanny's Toyota Yaris that I had borrowed to blend in with the traffic. He parked in the trendy area near Princeton University and walked a block to a restaurant. I didn't have to go inside; he met her at a table next to the window. In her thirties, she was tall, thin and graceful. Even her smile was spectacular when compared to my crooked one. She lifted her head to accept the light kiss he gave her on her lips. Sitting next to her rather than across, she slipped her hand into his and gazed into his eyes as they spoke. I ran across the street and threw up into the bushes.

I should have gone home then, but it was like watching a car wreck, I had to see what happened. While they ate dinner, I could see an easiness between then that came from a relationship that had past the first muster and made it. After it was over, he walked her to her car and then went back to his own. I followed him to a row of apartments where he parked and then pulled a backpack out of the back seat before walking up the street to one of the apartments up a flight of stairs. I couldn't see who opened the door, but I watched as Greg disappeared through it.

Sitting alone in the library, I went over it in my head. There had been no, "I love you's" between us, no promises to be monogamous, no pledges of fidelity. I had assumed that the bond we shared because of our daughter would make us a family, that he'd be miraculously wooed into a family life that he couldn't live without. But, obviously he could. Still, it seemed to happen so fast. One moment he's with Lana, then me, then Sophia, then Lana, then me and now, in six weeks, he's with this woman. I could see now how naïve I had been.

The question was, 'Now what?'

I couldn't think. Not even the four fingers of Grey Goose clarified my thoughts so I went to bed.

**Dear Readers,**

**Sorry about not posting for a few days, but I went up to Los Angeles to see Band from TV on Sunday and was really tired yesterday (long drive.) Had a blast. Please let me know if you are enjoying the story! Kim**


	29. Chapter 22 Part II

**Chapter 22 Part II**

**When Worlds Collide**

Thursday night, I followed her and watched as they split after having drinks. Greg went home and she went back to the apartment I had followed Greg to a few nights before. I had learned that her name was Laura Woods from the little marker on the mail box. I watched her climb the outside stairs to her apartment.

It was too much, I had to know. Gathering my strength and feeling duped, I knocked on her door. Opening it, I finally got a look at the beautiful woman who had dazzled Greg. I was no match if we were competing on beauty alone.

"May I help you?" She asked with that dazzling smile.

"I'm Kiara Larkin."

Her whole body tensed. "Oh."

So she knew about me.

"I was wondering if we could talk?"

Her eyes darted around and she had trouble connecting with mine. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel comfortable." She tried to close the door on me; I slammed my hand on it, throwing it back.

"Please, can I come in and talk to you. It's very important."

She shrugged and opened the door, but said nothing. I waited. She finally asked, "Are you coming in?"

"Is that an invitation?"

"Yes, come in, but I don't think we have much to talk about."

I smiled, walked through the door and tried to engage her so that she would stare into my eyes. We finally connected and so I made a feeble attempt to mesmerize her. Many vampires can mesmerize mortals into doing and saying what they want them to say. I've been hit or miss at it, depending on how susceptible the mortal is. I wasn't sure it was working, but I was pretty sure it was creeping her out.

She gave me a look of discomfort. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

I kept trying, but I finally asked her, "Are you sleeping with Greg?"

She tugged on her ear, thinking hard about her response. "Yes, but it's only for a few weeks, maybe three."

"But, you've been seeing him?"

"Yes." Her voice started to drift, as if she was drunk. I was surprised to find that I had mesmerized her and she was talking.

"How long?"

"How long?" She asked in return.

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"We've known each other for years. I work at the hospital, but he only invited me out about two months ago."

"So you've been dating two months?"

"No. We weren't dating, he asked me out for some advice."

"On what?"

There was a knock at the door. I could smell the AB blood and knew Greg was on the other side of the door. I panicked, grabbed her and sank my retractiles into her neck. There was another knock and then the ring of the doorbell. Luckily she had a door that locked when you closed it because Greg tried the doorknob several times. I took some of her boring O positive blood and then injected the chemicals that would make her forget the evening. At least I knew she wasn't a Guardian.

"Laura?" I heard him call through the door.

She moaned from the couch where I had dropped her.

"Laura, is that you? Let me in!" He was getting more frenetic about his banging and door rattling.

I went through the kitchen and exited out the back door to the alley, running down the street toward the car. I climbed behind the wheel and drove off into the night, wondering how I had ever let myself sink so low.

I don't recall even driving back to the house, but I did. I managed to make my way into the kitchen and found my father and two of his friends sitting around the island with a Cognac. Daddy was about to say something to me, but must have notice how disoriented I appeared because he jumped up, guided me into the library and sat me down.

"Acushla?" He said softly.

"Oh Daddy, I've made a stupid mistake."

There was a banging on the door and then noise in the foyer. I heard Greg's voice screaming, "Where is she?" His footsteps got closer and closer as his voice raised in volume and animosity.

I had my head against my father's shoulder and didn't see that his retractiles had come down to protect me. The library door burst open and Greg stood like an angry ogre in the door.

"I don't believe you did—" He took a step back and put up a hand. "Whoa! Look, Sean, this has nothing to do with you."

I felt every muscle in my father tense, ready to spring. Looking up, I finally realized that he was about to pounce. I had never seen his eyes so dark blue, his retractiles so fully exposed, it scared even me.

"Daddy? No, don't!"

There was a snarl that came out of my father's lips and I was afraid that it was too late, that he wouldn't listen.

"Sean, I'm here because your daughter…well, she did something that she shouldn't have. I have no quarrel with you."

My father stood up as I tried to pull him back down. My heart was pounding because I could see he was ready to defend me at all costs. I leapt up and managed to place myself between Greg and my father just in time. My father had pounced, but had run into me.

"Daddy! No! Please, leave us."

He was having a hard time pulling in his anger, but he finally managed to cloak his retractiles half-way. Surveying the situation, he shook his head at me. "I don't want you to be alone with a man who bursts into your home screaming for you."

"Daddy, it's a personal matter and I need to talk to Greg. Please, Daddy, leave us."

My father took a deep breath and then glared at Greg. "If I hear your voice raised you'll be served up to my friends in the kitchen. Do we understand each other?"

Greg shook his head. "No, because what she did tonight requires a good tongue lashing!"

"Daddy, just go. I'll be fine."

My father stroked my hair, kissed my forehead and began to leave, hissing a warning as he passed Greg. He closed the door behind him.

I went over to the Grey Goose and was about to pour a large one, but decided against it.

"Why did you bite her?"

"Why do you think it was me?"

"Let's not play games. I know it was you; who else would bite her?"

"There are other vampires that live here in Princeton."

"But strangely you seem to know what I'm talking about. _And _there are no other vampires that would bite the woman I'm sleeping with."

I was being obstinate; being coy was just going to drag this out. "Well, since you admit you're sleeping with her, then I admit I bit her."

"But why?"

"I didn't want her to tell you that I had been there."

"She doesn't remember anything about the evening."

"Of course not, I injected her. I'm sorry. I panicked when I heard you on the other side of the door."

"But why? She didn't do anything to you."

"No, you're right and if she remembered what had happened, I'd apologize to her. Now, can you leave? I'd like to get really drunk."

He crossed the room and sat in the chair furthest away from me. "Are we going to talk about it?"

"About you sleeping with Laura?"

He wrinkled his face, "No, about you lying to me about England."

"I was going to go, but I knew you were meeting someone and I just couldn't go without knowing. I'm going back to England tomorrow."

"And you're bringing Riane back after a short visit, right?"

"Not right away, but yes, I'll bring her back. You can come see her too."

"I want to adopt her."

I jerked back. "Why?"

"So that I have legal rights. I'm getting married and Laura has agreed to help me raise her. If I adopt her, I can keep you from taking her away from me. I've seen a lawyer. I told him that you've already acknowledged on the birth certificate that I'm the father. I suspect you won't make me prove paternity since you won't want to risk them doing a DNA test and finding out that she's not quite human."

I started shaking, falling back on the couch. "You love this Laura?"

"Leave Laura out of this." His eyes were stern.

My eyes welled up. "Well then, do you love me?"

He closed his eyes for a few seconds as if he was in pain. Opening them, I saw pity, sorrow. "Kiara, I'm sorry, but this world you live in is so bizarre. I've tried, you know I've tried. But it's not healthy for Riane. Do you really want our daughter growing up with no exposure to a normal mortal upbringing? I know you love her, that your Dad loves her, that you want what's best for her. Can you truly say that this is the only life she should know? I've wrestled with this for months now. It's been eating away at me. I couldn't talk to you about it because you've never known anything but the vampire world. I came to the conclusion that she needs her own kind."

"She's a vampire; she needs blood to live Greg. We _are_ her own kind."

"She doesn't need that much blood. I've done DNA tests on her, looked at her cell structure, compared it to yours, and for the most part she's pretty normal for a kid, almost pure mortal. Sure she has a few markers you don't find in humans, but for the most part, she's more like me than you."

"You never did love me then?"

The non-sequitur took him off guard. "Jesus, yes, I loved you. I still have feelings for you. But, I have feelings for Laura too, strong feelings. She's a child psychologist. I was a fish out of water. The idea of being a father scared the living crap out of me. The idea of being a father to a little girl with some vampire in her just made it even harder to fathom. I asked her to have drinks with me to consult about Riane."

"You couldn't talk to me?"

"Part of my problem was you…your inability to see how mortal Riane is…your inability to give her a mortal life."

"And this Laura—she had answers?"

"I told her that Riane had a genetic characteristic that she shared with your side of the family. I told her that she had a very mild form of a genetic disease similar to Porphyria. I explained how most of your family is so affected by the disease that you live nocturnal lives. We talked about growing up in a family that is centered around a disease, how her life would be shaped by a disease that only slightly affects her. She gave me articles and journals that only convinced me even more it was important that I provide Riane with as normal a life as possible. We spent hours discussing it and well, we grew close. I felt as if I could share my concerns with her, something I didn't feel comfortable sharing with you. She was kind, understanding. It…it just happened."

"But, it's not a disease, it's who we are, it's her heredity."

"No, it's a disease. It's a genetic disease that one day will be explained by science. But let's not argue that point—" He collapsed back into a chair and then leaned forward. "You know how you felt growing up. Think of how she's going to feel. She'll be the niece living with the Munsters. You can't see that, can you? I know your father doesn't see it. But, I can. Every time I look into her little face, I feel guilty for not doing the right thing; for not giving her a normal life."

"So, you're going to take her from me?"

He shook his head. "No, but I want shared custody and I want her during the week so that she can go to a regular school, have friends, be as normal as possible. You can have her during the weekends and during the summers we can work it out so that you get more time with her."

I felt like my world was careening out of orbit. "What about us?"

His eyes softened. "There will be no 'us', just our daughter. You have Caleb. I hate to admit it, but he's a good guy and he's good for you and from what you say, he treats Riane like a daughter. Go back to him, be happy."

I snickered. "Be happy? Be happy when you manage to take my daughter away from me?"

"Try to get it through your head that I'm not taking her away from you. This has me scared shitless. I can't wait until your father and every vampire in New Jersey finds out what I'm doing. I'm counting on your love for our daughter to keep them from killing me. I think that when you have a chance to sleep on this you're going to realize I'm right."

I sat down and thought about what he was saying, playing it over and over in my head. _You can't make anyone love you…stay with you…want you. You've had 169 years to figure that out. Think of Riane, think of what's good for her. _

"I hate you for what you're doing. But maybe, to some extent you're right. But, I can do this. I can start getting up at dawn, taking her to school. I can give her a mortal life. Don't do this to us—please."

"Kiara, we both know that trying to accommodate a day life wreaks havoc on your body. You're tired and groggy whenever you try to adjust to my clock, the same for me trying to adjust to a nocturnal life."

"But couples do it all the time."

"Yeah, normal couples that don't have blood sucking relatives and friends around them all the time. This is not a normal lifestyle."

"Greg, I can change. I can be more mortal." I hated the sound of desperation coming from my mouth, but I wanted our little family to remain intact.

It was as if I had put an arrow through his heart. He looked so sad and weary. "I want that more than you can ever know, but it's not going to happen. You are a vampire and you'll never be more mortal. It's like living with the Ku Klux Klan. You're this underground society that has its own secret handshake. Kiara, please, think this over, don't make this harder than it is."

I started crying. "You've just told me that you want my child, that you don't love me enough to make our relationship work; that I'm a bad mother and now you suddenly have feelings—strong feelings—for another woman that you plan to marry. I'm sorry, but it is hard. Stupid me, I thought we had a good thing, that this was working, that we actually loved each other. I know now how wrong I was. I feel like a fool."

I ran out of the room and up the stairs slamming the bedroom door behind me. I'm sure Greg left right away; he didn't want to be around my father in the state that he was in. I spent the remainder of the night crying, refusing to let my father in until I had thought things through. I simply told him that I didn't want anyone to ever hurt Greg, that he loved our daughter and no matter what happened between us, his love for Riane was what was important.

My father simply said, "Acushula" and then left, going downstairs to his lair as the sun started to make its way across my universe.

**PLEASE REVIEW!!! THANKS FOR READING!**


	30. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**King Soloman's Sword**

I didn't go to England. I stayed and thought through what Greg was trying to tell me. I finally got up the courage to call Caleb and tell him. He fell quiet on the phone.

"I'd really like to know what you think I should do?" I asked.

"Well, at the risk of you hating me; I think Greg has some valid points although his execution of his plan is bollocks. He's right that Riane is more mortal; we both know that. And he's right that, if it was hard on you growing up a live vampire, it will be harder on her. But, I also think that the two of you could have given her the best of both worlds. I'm not sure you have to cut the baby in half."

"Well, he has it in his mind that this is the best way to do it."

"He may be right, but he should have first given his life with you a try."

"I think he panicked, that he's still trying to deal with the idea that vampires exist. He couldn't tell me that my heritage bothered him and so he turned to this woman. She managed to win his affection and he thinks his prayers have been answered."

"Greg loves you Kiara. I believe this is as much a sacrifice for him in his mind as for you. He's settling for second best because he thinks it's what's right for Riane. And I think he finds it hard to come to terms with our world."

"Well, I think I'm going to give him what he wants. I don't see any other choice other than the obvious one, but I don't want him or his fiancé killed. I love him and I know he really believes what he's doing is the right thing. As much as it hurts, I'm willing to share custody."

"So you'll be living in Princeton?"

"I'm sorry Caleb, but during the school year I would have to. I'll be able to visit you on school holidays and during the summer when I have full custody. Those will be my terms or I'll fight it."

"I'll take whatever I can get. I'm entitled to ten weeks a year holiday at Barts so I'll get over often to see the two of you. What does your father have to say?"

"I need your help. Can you come over and help me break the news to him?"

"Oh, Christ, you haven't done it yet? Greg will be lucky to live when Sean finds out."

"I know. I have to convince my father that it's my idea."

"How?"

"He knows that I've always been slightly lonely living in his world for not quite being accepted."

"That's not true."

"You'd be surprised. I'm not talking about you or the royal vampires; I'm talking about your every night vampire. I plan to play on that, tell him that I feel guilty, that her genetic makeup makes her more mortal and I won't be able to provide what she needs without Greg's help."

"It might work, but don't expect him to like it."

"I just want to make sure it keeps Greg and his fiancé from getting killed."

"You're a very generous woman, Kiara."

"No, I'm almost 170 years old and know better than most that 'this too shall pass.'"

"No truer words were ever said."

xx x x x x x x break x x x x x x x x

Caleb flew over and days later, when he returned from Ireland, we confronted my father. After several hours of debate and lots of threats to everyone involved, I convinced my father that this was all for the best.

"But he's been sleeping with this other woman and you at the same time?" My father growled, venom dripping from every word.

"Daddy, I knew and was okay with it. I could see that Greg and I weren't going to work, but Riane loves him so much. It started going south a month ago. We weren't really arguing, we were just drifting apart. I told him that if there was someone else, I wouldn't stand in the way. So you see; he had my permission."

"But you cried when he came over the other night."

"Well of course, Daddy. Just because we drifted apart doesn't mean I don't mourn the loss of us as a family. But, just think, this means that both Riane and I will have to stay in Princeton, you'll actually see more of us than before."

The thought hadn't crossed his mind. I saw a light go on in his head. Even though Greg would share custody, we'd be here. He could see her anytime he wanted. My father smoothed out a crease in his trousers and gave me a shrug.

"Daddy, Greg will let you see her anytime. I mean, he'll be too frightened not to let you see her."

The next night I met with Greg in his apartment and laid down the terms. He would have her two weekends a month until she went to school. Once she started school, I would get her on weekends and all school holidays except that he would get her on Christmas morning, I would have her on Christmas Eve. During the summers, she would spend all but a weekend a month with me. In addition, my father could see her anytime he wanted. I could see Greg balk at that, but I shook my head.

"Not negotiable. If you and Laura want _to live_, that's the terms."

Greg could see I was serious and finally agreed.

It was all worked out and we had lawyers draft up the agreements. A few weeks later I found myself at his apartment. It was the first time I had to hand over Riane to her father at his place, usually he came to get her. Handing her over to him felt strange; I had a hard time physically letting her go of her tiny hand which was holding on to mine so tightly. Greg finally pried my fingers from her hand and took her inside.

"Come on in. I want her to see that we can be civil to each other."

It was then that I knew I was numb inside. I could barely walk to the chair. He handed me a glass of Grey Goose and told me to breathe. Taking a sip I managed to ask a few questions.

"So you introduced her the other day at the hospital as your daughter?"

"Yeah, you should have seen Cuddy's face when I showed her the court orders. She wants to give me the number of a good pre-school…a Jewish one."

I nodded. "When are you and Laura getting married?"

"She wants Riane to get used to her for a few months so we're looking at a winter wedding. She's looking for a bigger place for us."

I nodded again. "I better go. I feel like throwing up."

"My bathroom's back where it's always been."

"No, I need to get out of here." I kissed Riane on the cheek, told her to be good for her Daddy and ran like the wind, faster than Greg could keep track of with his mortal eyes.

x x x x x x break x x x x x x xx

I slept with Caleb. It felt good. He bit me as I came and it was like being injected with heroin. All of my troubles seemed gone and I floated for hours after that. Sleeping in his arms felt safe, his smell comforted me and his love was like a cocoon. My only thought as I fell into a deep sleep was that I wished I could fall in love with him again, like it was in the beginning.

**Dear Readers...Short chapter (just is), but thanks again for those of you who have left reviews and keep leaving them. It really does encourage me to keep writing! Kim**


	31. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Rattled**

Caleb came soon after she called. He didn't really want to go across the ocean to comfort the woman he loved because someone had dumped her, but she needed him and Caleb was a patient vampire. He knew that he had decades to convince her of his love and for her to fall in love with him again. More importantly, the dilemma over Riane did have him concerned because in his heart Riane was his daughter too. Nights of feeding her, rocking her, changing her diaper, watching her learn to crawl then walk, teaching her how to talk, playing with her had endeared her to him in a way no other mortal or vampire had. There was a bond with Riane that he had with no other person.

On the plane, he had a drink and then leaned back to think. He wondered how Greg could give Kiara up. He had heard from Sean only weeks ago that Kiara and Greg were doing well together, had developed a routine. According to Sean, Greg was a better father than he thought he would be even though Sean had once told him that he always believed that beneath the surface of the irascible House, there was a human trying to get out. It appeared that his daughter had the key to unlock that person in him. Children often did that.

On arrival, Kiara looked worn down, as if she had been up several nights in a row. Certainly Sean had to know something was up, but he didn't. Caleb looked for Sean at the airport but Kiara told him that Sean was in Ireland for a few days sorting out estate problems. He was expected back soon.

It pained him to see Kiara so distraught, but in some ways he had prepared himself for it. When they went downstairs to the cellar, Kiara grabbed him around the waist and cried softly into his shirt. He wondered what hurt her the most, sharing Riane or losing Greg?

"We've gotten through a lot in the past; we'll get through this too."

"What am I going to do without my baby?"

"You'll do what divorced parents always do, make the best of it. At least she has two parents who love her and want the best for her. Now, I have to sleep, I'll see you tonight." He leaned down and kissed Kiara softly on her lips. She let him slip out of her arms and into his coffin. Her face was the last thing he saw as he closed the lid for the day.

That evening, House arrived with Riane, bringing her home after spending a night at his apartment. Kiara quietly took Riane up to give her a bath and then put her to bed. House heard someone playing the piano and followed the music. When he found Caleb behind the piano, he wasn't surprised.

Caleb saw House enter the room, nodding a hello to him. Lowering the volume of his playing so they could talk, he still continued to play.

"So, she called you. I thought she would."

"Who else would she call? I'm her oldest friend and Riane is an important part of my life, I hope you know that." Caleb said more as a warning than as a statement.

"You don't have to worry. I told her to call you, to go back to you, be happy."

Caleb reached the crescendo, playing it expertly, then finished the piece before responding. "Happy? She loves you, trusted you, thought you would help her raise your daughter together. Now you run off with another woman after two months?"

"I didn't run off. I've known Laura for years. We dated three years ago, but I wasn't ready for a real relationship. I broke it off just before I dated Kiara. She's a child psychologist so I asked her to meet me for dinner so I could ask her some questions about how to deal with being a new father. We met a couple times a week and, well, it just happened."

"Just happened? Riane and Kiara are at home, thinking that you love them, are a part of their world and you sleep with another woman because it just happened?"

"I admit sleeping with both of them at the same time wasn't very kosher, but it wasn't like Kiara and I were banging around like teenagers. It only happened a couple of times. Look, this vampire thing is normal to you, but not to me. I desperately needed someone in my life that was normal."

"I'm normal." Kiara said from behind him.

Turning, he winced. "For a vampire." He looked like he was going to cry. "Kiara, I'm sorry."

Caleb watched Kiara and noted quickly that she was popping something in her mouth and chewing. She nervously popped another in her mouth.

"I'm going to leave." He started out the door and then stopped, turned to Caleb and said with conviction. "You're a damn good pianist."

Caleb smiled, "Thank you."

He left and Caleb looked up just in time to see Kiara pop something in her mouth again. "What are you eating?"

Kiara looked down in her hand. "Olives."

Caleb's eyes flew open, remembering that the last time she popped olives like they were candy. "Kiara, are you pregnant?"

She looked at her hand again and then, her face frozen with horror, looked over at him. "I don't know. I just have a craving for them--again."

He got up and went over to her. "Have you been using protection?"

"No, I know it sounds naïve, but I thought it wasn't necessary, that we were a family and, well, if I got pregnant..."

"How did you determine that you were pregnant the last time?"

She smiled, "A witch told me."

"Christ, Kiara, what were you thinking? You know what Thomas said. He thinks that having a child for a vampire is like having different Rh factors. You might get by with it the first time, but your body will start to attack itself or the baby if you get pregnant again. Plus, we know how much having Riane shortened your life, what will another baby do?"

"What does it matter if it halves it, I'm still going to have plenty of time to raise my children if I am pregnant."

"Not if you die in childbirth."

Kiara sat down. "Caleb, what if I am pregnant? What happens then?"

"You mean, Greg?"

She nodded.

Seeing the pain in her face, he softened his voice. "I don't know, Acushula."

"He can't know. I won't lose another one to him."

"How are you going to hide a pregnancy? A child?" He laughed.

"I don't know, but I have to try."

"Well, let's get you a pregnancy test before we start planning your deceit."

**Dear Readers,**

**I know the last two chapters seem short, but they get longer starting with the next chapter! Thanks for reading and THANK YOU for your reviews. Kim**


	32. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Deceit and Destruction**

I had to take the test two weeks in a row before it showed positive, but I was pregnant. We called Thomas to talk to him and he urged me to have an abortion, stating that my blood tests showed that after I had Riane, I had developed what looked like an abnormal antigen. He tested it against mortal blood and was surprised when it didn't attack the mortal blood, but the exposure to mortal blood did stimulate the production of more of the antigen. In fact, the production of the antigen was out of control. If it did this in a Petri dish, he wondered what it would do to me if my blood mixed with my baby's during childbirth?

"I know we can do it again, Thomas. I know I can get through this." I told him.

"Kiara, this isn't about eating right and staying healthy, it's about your body attacking itself if you go through with this."

After the phone call, I sat in my chair. What did it matter? I'd lost my daughter, I'd lost the person I loved, I'd lost my desire to do my job. If I died, my father and Caleb would take care of Riane. If I died in childbirth, they'd take care of the baby. It didn't matter if I died; I just knew I couldn't kill my child, Greg's child.

When I looked up, Caleb cursed at me for the first time in over forty years. "Bloody hell, Kiara, you're a stupid cow if you go through with this."

I looked down at my feet, remembering how much they swelled when I was pregnant with Riane. When I looked back into his eyes they were swimming with tears.

"You're going to go through with it, aren't you?"

I nodded.

He left the room.

That was the night I slept with Caleb.

I was able to hide the pregnancy by wearing hoodies, loose clothing and staying away from Greg as much as I could. My father frequently answered the door and welcomed Riane into the house. We told Greg that I wasn't feeling good, which was true most of the time. I was having a hard time with the pregnancy. It was more than morning sickness; I was having moments of being light-headed, rashes, fevers and fatigue.

The custody issue was working well. Greg always let me have Riane on special occasions and never balked at letting my father into his apartment to see her when he "dropped in" unannounced or he picked her up. Because we frequently didn't see each other, we spoke often on the phone. Sometimes Laura would answer and I'd feel my heart clench. But, we never exchanged words except greetings and information on the whereabouts of Greg and Riane. Greg told me that Riane was having some separation issues, crying for me the first hour after he took her.

Caleb reluctantly had to go back to England, but came back for Christmas. Every time he left I could see the fear in his eyes. He was afraid that the fragile new bond we had recently formed would be broken the minute he was gone. But the new bond was based more on need, than unconditional love. I needed Caleb. I felt as if I was falling through the rabbit hole and he was the only hand keeping me from slipping through it. We talked every day (night in England) by phone and I survived on the reassurance he gave me that we would get through this.

Thomas flew over every month to run tests and to examine me. After the last check-up I received a frantic call from Caleb. "I'm flying over with Thomas and we're delivering your baby now. You need to find a sympathetic delivery room. Your white blood count is through the roof and these antigens are multiplying like bloody rabbits. We need to deliver the baby as soon as possible or you're both going to be dead."

"No, not yet. I can last another few weeks. I'll set up the delivery room for two weeks from today."

"Acushla, you'll die."

"Caleb, I know what my body can take. If I wait two weeks the baby will be thirty-six weeks and have a better chance."

"You and your baby will be dead by then."

"No! I can do this."

There was a click. Caleb was pissed enough to hang up on me…now that's pissed.

I managed to stay off of Greg's radar by sending Denton, my father or Riane's nanny to pick Riane up. But one Saturday he came to ask if Riane could go with him and Laura to meet Laura's family in Hershey, Pennsylvania, but the servants told him I was sick and couldn't see him.

"She's sick all the time. Where is she Denton?" Greg demanded.

"I'm sorry sir, but she isn't here."

Greg pulled out his cell phone and called mine. It was in my purse in the library playing Alice Cooper's _Be My Vampire, _Caleb's selection for my ring tone. A few minutes later Greg appeared in my bedroom doorway with my purse in hand.

"Your phone is ringing."

"Greg, please, I'm not well. Can we talk about this another time?"

My drapes were all pulled and the room was fairly dark. The heavy comforter was pulled up around my chin. I had gained some weight, but just enough to sustain the baby. My face looked drawn and my eyes were hollow. Unless you pulled the duvet back, there was no way you would suspect I was pregnant, but you I did look sick and I knew that the dark circles around my eyes were going to pique Greg's curiosity. I rolled up into a ball to hide my body even more.

He narrowed his eyes. "You look like crap."

"I know. Now can you let me get some sleep?"

His hand covered my forehead. "You have a fever. How long have you had it?"

"A day." I lied.

"I don't believe you."

"It doesn't really matter what you believe; I'm no longer your concern. Now is this important or can I go back to sleep?"

"Have you been eating?"

"Goodbye, Greg."

"I thought you were avoiding me, but you weren't; you really are sick."

"Oh, God! Please go! I'm so tired. Please call me tomorrow."

He walked over and started to feel my glands. I knew next he would start prodding my abdomen. I lifted my head and exposed my retractiles, my eyes flashing too. I tried to muster the most horrific face I could.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed.

He pulled back. "Christ, I'm just trying to help."

"I'm fine, just tired."

There was an awkward silence and then he said, "I'm taking Riane to meet Laura's parents the week after next. We'd like to make it a four day weekend. Okay with you?"

"That's fine. Just call the day before and remind me."

He gave me a curt nod and stood up, but didn't leave. He said softly, with tenderness, "You're ill, I'm a doctor. Please let me examine you."

"I'm a doctor too. I've just got food poisoning…bad blood."

"Bad blood? I thought you couldn't catch anything."

"No, but sometimes when blood has certain antigens in it, we get sick. It takes awhile for us to recover."

He wasn't sure what to do, so he simply said, "Fine." He started to leave. "Oh, from now on, never pull your fangs on me again." He said it as calmly as he could.

I looked him in the eye with some satisfaction. "You know, Greg, that's one promise I can't make. I mean, after all, as you have so frequently pointed out, I am a Vampire."

He swallowed and snorted, "Fair enough."


	33. Chapter 26 Part I

**Chapter 26**

**Caleb's Son**

By the time Thomas and Caleb arrived two weeks later, Sean informed them that Kiara had become delirious. He had been unable to get the local vampire doctor to treat her because he had never dealt with a pregnant vampire, let alone the pregnant daughter of a powerful king.

Thomas and Caleb took Kiara to the small private hospital that had been scheduled a few weeks before where Kiara was induced immediately. House was safely out of the state and had taken Riane with him to Pennsylvania to meet Laura's parents. The night staff at the hospital consisted of several vampires, including a hematologist that had worked with Kiara, Brian Mason. The vampires were extremely nervous since they were all members of King Larkin's sect. They were on staff to assist and to insure that the records of both Kiara and the baby were kept clean and beyond suspicion.

Caleb was fairly sure that he was more of a hindrance than a help to Thomas because he couldn't focus on what needed to be done; he was too worried about losing Kiara. He had reason to be.

Kiara's fever spiked and her blood pressure dropped dramatically just after transition causing the baby's heart and the contractions to slow dramatically. Thomas was forced to manually pull the head through the birth canal with forceps, delivering the baby just in time.

"It's a boy." Thomas announced to Caleb, still wondering why Kiara had never had an ultrasound that would have told them this news earlier.

Caleb didn't bother to look at the crying baby; his eyes were on the monitor. "Great, but now we desperately need to save Kiara."

"Caleb, I don't know how. I just had her blood diagnosed by Brian and the antigens have exploded. I don't think there's any way to cleanse her blood."

"Thomas, she's dying. Her blood pressure is eighty over fifty, her heart rate is 55 and she's unconscious. Do something!"

Thomas looked frightened. Shaking his head he held up his hands in frustration. "Caleb, there's nothing I can do."

Caleb grabbed Thomas and shook him, "_Do something!"_

"_What would you have me do? We've never seen this antigen before."_

Caleb ran to the tray, took a scalpel and slit his wrist open, placing it to her lips.

"Caleb, that may aggravate the condition."

Caleb opened Kiara's purple lips and pushed his wrist between her teeth so that the blood would drain into her mouth. The gash was wide and the blood gushed out until Caleb was dizzy and the blood was coming up out of her mouth, draining to the side.

They all turned to the monitor as Caleb wrapped his wrist until it healed. There was no change, Kiara's lips remained blue and her eyes remained closed. A guttural cry of a wounded animal came out of Caleb's mouth as he collapsed over Kiara's body in utter despair.

"I'm sorry Caleb. I'm truly sorry, but I don't know what to do." Her blood oxygen levels are down; we need to put her on oxygen, possibly ventilation."

Eventually, Caleb went out to the waiting room and found Sean already holding his grandson, smiling and showing him off to a couple that were waiting for news on their daughter's labor. Sean looked up and saw Caleb so he motioned with pride to the baby. When Caleb didn't respond, Sean's grin dropped and terror took its place.

"No. No. I don't want to hear it." Sean yelled.

Caleb took Sean to a private room. "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry, but she is in a coma. They're hooking her up to a monitor to see if she has any brain waves. If she doesn't then we need to remove the oxygen and the blood; we'll need to let her go."

Sean was shaking his head violently, so violently that Caleb took the baby from him. In a flash, Caleb realized that this was Kiara's child, a four pound ten ounce little fighter who appeared to have a good set of lungs. His Apgar scores were nine out of ten. They would still take him to the Premie ward, but it wouldn't be long and he'd be released, he seemed pretty healthy. Turning back to Sean, Caleb saw an old man in a young man's body. His dead eyes confirmed that the news had crushed him.

"Sean, you can't give up. She's still alive, just in a coma. But, I have to admit, we don't know how to help her."

"My blood, I could—"

Caleb grabbed Sean's shoulder and quietly said, "I've already done it. There was no change. Thomas is doing all that he can."

The nurse and Thomas came out to talk to Sean. Caleb handed the baby to the nurse who took him to the nursery. Thomas had his hands on his back and was looking down at the floor.

Knowing he was in the presence of two very powerful vampires, Thomas felt defensive about what had happened. "We warned her. We tried to get her to have an abortion or to let us induce her weeks ago, but she wanted the baby to have a better chance."

Sean simply said, "Tell me something that I don't know."

"She has brain waves."

Caleb's eyebrows went up. "She does?"

"Yes, she's not brain dead, but we don't know if there's been any damage or if she'll come out of her coma. We're going to run blood samples every half hour, but the antigens are still multiplying and stimulating white cell production. She's having her own version of a cytokine storm."

"Just tell me if she's going to live."

Thomas looked down, "I don't know Sean, I really don't know."

Kiara was moved to the hospital's ICU ward and placed on oxygen and eventually ventilation when her oxygen levels continued to drop. At five am, Caleb and Sean left for home, traveling in the back of the town car in silence, both lost to their misery. A simple good day was exchanged in the cellar as they went to their separate lairs.

At six the next evening, Caleb and Sean arrived back at the hospital hoping to find an alert Kiara, but she looked no different than the night before.

Caleb turned to Sean who was holding onto Kiara's foot at the end of the bed. "Do you want to go have a look at the baby?"

Sean shook his head. "I can't look at him just now. All I can think of when his face pops into my mind is my Kiara, unconscious, dead to the world. I know I shouldn't blame him, but right now I keep thinking that if he weren't here, I'd have my daughter."

Caleb understood, but he was still curious about the baby, maybe because the baby had been so important to Kiara. "What are you going to name him?"

Sean shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it. I guess we'll call him Caleb Sean Larkin."

Caleb drew in a deep breath. "Are you sure?"

"You deserve it Caleb. You've been her backbone for a long time. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you being here and in her life."

"Thank you, it's quite an honor. Thomas says that the baby can go home in a week."

There was no reaction, no sign of happiness that the baby was well. Caleb was worried, without Kiara, Sean might not be emotionally able to give the baby what he needed. Caleb went to the nursery and found the little fellow in his plexiglass cot, his nose squished up against the side like a pug-nosed fighter.

He was so tiny, about sixteen and a half inches long, but considering he was a month premature, he was a good size. He was healthy enough not to need an incubator, but he did have a heat lamp to keep him warm. Caleb picked him up and held him, his heart aching for Kiara's lonely little child. What if Kiara never came back to them? Would anyone love the little creature? Caleb wondered if he should tell Greg? But, he knew that Kiara hadn't wanted that. And if she did return, he didn't want to be the person who had brought Greg into little Caleb's life without her permission. As he held him, Caleb knew the answer-- he would love the baby. Caleb would honor Kiara by loving her child.

x x x x x x x x break xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Greg?"

"Who is this?" House asked.

"It's Caleb."

"Oh. Yeah, what do you want?"

"Uh, Kiara had an emergency and wanted to know if you could keep Riane for a week. Sean will pick her up next Friday."

"What's the emergency?"

"Problems on the estate in Ireland that require both Sean and Kiara's presence."

There was silence and then, "Okay. But, I don't have daycare set up. Can the nanny come over here during the day?"

"Certainly, we'll arrange that. Thank you."

"Caleb?"

"Yes?"

"You would tell me if there was something wrong? She didn't look well when I saw her last."

"I will be in touch." Caleb hung up. He didn't want to exaggerate the lie he had already told him.

Arriving at the hospital, Caleb and Sean made their nightly journey up to Kiara's hospital room. Thomas was returning to Cambridge the next day, having decided there was nothing more that he could do. They had arranged for Kiara to be moved to Sean's home where she would be tended to by private nurses, one vampire, one mortal, and a private vampire doctor.

Caleb went down the hall to the nursery to look for the little pugilist. Once again, little Caleb was awake while the others were soundly asleep. The little fists that stuck out of the plain cotton gown waved in the air above him. Caleb happily picked up the baby and brought him back to Kiara's room, smiling and cooing at him. Although he was named after Caleb, they had started calling him Jack after his middle name. Sean is John in Gaelic and the nickname for John is Jack. They all agreed that it seemed to fit him better. Sitting next to Kiara, he fed Jack while constantly telling Kiara what the baby was doing. It was too much for Sean to take.

"_Can you stop? I can't stand it! _That baby is healthy, eating and breathing and because of him my daughter –" Sean choked up and left the room.

Caleb looked down at the baby. "He's a good man and a wonderful grandfather. One day he'll come around. But, right now we have to let him mourn the loss of his daughter, your mummy." Caleb held the baby up to his face, smiled and kissed him on the nose. "Don't worry though, I'm going to take care of you like I did your sister."

Sean returned and apologized. "I know you're giving the play by play for Kiara, that it's good for her. And I know the little baby is innocent, but I look at him and it just hurts too much right now."

"Sean, I want to take Jack with me. I'll raise him in England away from Greg. You can fly over as often as you can and bring Riane with you. We'll tell her that he's her cousin; we'll make sure they spend summers together."

"How are you going to get him into England?"

"We'll put down on the birth certificate that I'm his father. I'll eventually get him a British passport, but for now I can mesmerize the custom agents, they'll let him in. Don't worry. We'll deal with legalities later."

"I don't know. What if she wakes up and he's not here?"

"I'll catch the next flight over with him. You know this is the answer. I'll love him and make sure he wants for nothing. Kiara would understand."

Sean took a deep breath and looked down at his daughter. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, but just for the next year. We can re-examine the issue in a year. You'll need a mortal nursemaid, one sympathetic to vampires."

"Riane's English nanny will come back to work for me, I'm sure. I'll pay her whatever it takes."

And so it was decided. The baby would go back to England with Caleb and Sean would tend to Kiara and Riane. Both men seemed to relax a little now that the decision had been made. Just before they left the hospital, Thomas stormed into the room.

"I'm glad I caught both of you. We had a bit of good news. The process has stopped, she's stabilized. The antigens have stopped multiplying, there's been no change in the numbers for the last three days."

"Why?" Sean asked.

Thomas shrugged. "I don't know. But, we need to run her blood-work weekly to see if there's additional change."

Sean shook Thomas's hand with an exuberance that made Caleb think that Sean was too optimistic. But, Caleb had to admit any good news was welcomed.

x break x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Dressed in a little blue jump suit and wrapped in several baby blankets, Jack took his first trans-Atlantic flight to England. Caleb successfully mesmerized the custom agents and Caleb was admitted into Ol' Blighty without any trouble. In the meantime, Sean's U.S. attorney was applying for the baby's American passport.

House brought Riane back to the Larkin manor at the end of the week and demanded to see Kiara. Sean told him that Kiara was returning from Ireland the next day. House thought seriously about rushing up the stairs, but knew Sean would catch him easily. He left, not convinced that Kiara was in Ireland and certain that something wasn't right.

Over the next month, excuse after excuse was made as to why Kiara wasn't answering his calls—her cell phone was lost or she wasn't available to take his calls. Sean was worried that House would break his way into the house and storm her room, so Sean had her moved to the bedroom down the hall and a lock installed.

The move had been a wise act on his part because one evening Denton was unable to keep House from charging up the stairs and barging through her door. The bed was made and the room opened to the warm June air outside. House walked over to Riane's room, but she wasn't there either. He started down the hall when Denton and the young, buff chauffeur stopped him.

"Dr. House, we have a guest who sleeps during the day. Would you please leave quietly so as not to wake him?"

House sized up the strength of the young man and then stared at the locked door down the hall. There was a Mercedes out front that he knew didn't belong to Sean, so it was probably true that they had company. House reluctantly returned downstairs, kissed his daughter who was comfortable in vampire nanny's arms, and left.

Denton smiled as he realized that the Mercedes he was given by Lord Larkin for one hundred years of service was probably what kept House from causing a scene and trying to storm Kiara's sick room. Denton felt sorry for House. He wondered if he was the only one who could see that the man was still in love with her.

x break x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Caleb was surprised and delighted to find that little Caleb's circadian rhythms were very different than his sister's. Jack frequently slept well during the day and spent most of his waking hours during the night. The mortal nanny tried to keep him from sleeping all day, but to no avail. Anytime she put him down in his playpen or buggy, he fell asleep.

Caleb took a leave of absence from St. Barts so that he could be home with the baby for the first few months. He spent his nights staying home with Jack, making frequent trips down to the vampire hall to handle affairs of the sect with Jack in a sling against his chest.

It didn't take long for Caleb to become familiar with the various cries of his son, which helped him respond to Jack's needs as fast as he could. He was surprised at how much he missed Jack when he had to go away on sect business. Luckily, Caleb had been able to hire back Riane's vampire nanny so that he had Jack's needs covered on all shifts.

Caleb missed Riane, but was given weekly updates by Sean and Denton. He spoke to her on the phone and spent time with her whenever he visited with Sean.

To his dismay, Kiara was starting to wither away. Despite physical therapy, her body had twisted into a fetal position and her weight had dropped at least a stone. When Caleb visited her two months after taking Jack home with him, he cried. She looked frail and hopeless.

It was a cool fall evening when Riane and Greg returned one night, finding Caleb having dinner with Sean. Jack was asleep up in Riane's crib. Riane had started sleeping in a big girl's bed which was placed under the window in her room. Riane had told everyone that she enjoyed sharing her bedroom with her 'cousin' Jack.

House turned Riane loose and then nodded at the two men. "Hello, Caleb? Are you here to visit with Kiara?"

"Yes, I am."

"Where is she?"

Caleb smiled, lying easily, "Shopping for a dress to wear to the Vampire's Ball."

"Well, you two need to tell Kiara that we need to meet in person. The wedding is in two weeks and I need to make arrangements for Riane so that she can attend. My future in-laws are willing to pick her up or, if you and Kiara would like, you can bring her and stay for the ceremony."

Caleb snickered to himself. "How generous of you, Greg."

There was a cry upstairs.

House looked around and saw that Riane was on her grandfather's lap eating steak off of his fork. "What was that?" House asked.

"I adopted a baby from Russia. I missed having Riane around, so I decided to adopt."

"They let _you_ adopt?"

"After a lot of monetary persuasion."

The nanny brought the baby down to the dining area for his bottle and diaper changing.

"Boy?" House asked.

"Yes, Caleb Sean."

"How old?"

"Four months." Caleb replied.

"He's small, isn't he?"

"Preemie, he's still catching up."

House nodded.

"Mommy's sleeping." Riane said to House.

"Yes, you always say that, but right now Mommy's shopping."

Riane slid off of Sean's lap and grabbed House's hand. "Mommy's sleeping."

House smiled down at the pretty blue eyes looking up. "No, honey, Mommy's not here."

"Mommy sleeping." She insisted.

House stared down at his daughter and thought hard. _What was she trying to tell him?_

"Her vocabulary has grown extensively." Caleb said.

"Yeah. Well, tell Fangs that I want to talk to her, face to face." House picked up Riane and kissed her. "Bye, Pumpkin. Daddy will see you next weekend." He put her down and went to the door. Riane started to cry, hard. House turned back to look at her; this didn't make sense to him. If she was coming home to her mother, she should feel safe, secure here. But, now she wanted to go with him. Why?

"It's okay. I've got her." Caleb said picking Riane up in his arms. Riane continued to reach out for House.

"Maybe I ought to stay until Kiara gets home. She's really worked up."

"Once you leave she'll be okay. I'll take her up and bathe her."

House nodded and left, but something wasn't right and House was curious.


	34. Chapter 26 Part II

x x x x x x x x x break x x x x x x x x x x x x

Monday, House took off at noon and made his way to Larkin manor. He knew that security would be heightened because two kings were in residence in the basement, but House had an in—the mortal nanny liked House, a lot. They both loved the same soap opera. Pulling up to the front, he parked and walked to the side French doors. Carly opened them for him.

"Almost noon. Is it on?" House asked as he took a seat in front of the flat screen. "Can you believe DeWinters is the father of Tory's twins?"

She shook her head. "That blew me away!"

"Where's Riane?"

"I got her to go down for a nap, but she'll be up before it's over."

House nodded and leaned back to watch. "Hey, you got any beer?"

Carly nodded and stood up to go get him one.

"I'm going to take a leak, be right back." House yelled to her as she left for the kitchen. He jumped up and made his way to the hallway, looking in all directions. The security would be watching the front and back. His appearance at the side door would be noted, but no one would think twice about Carly letting him in to watch the soap with her.

House opened up Kiara's room and looked around for any evidence of what was going on, but he found none.

"Greg? Where did you go?" Carly called out.

He walked to the top of the stairs and yelled softly, "It's Riane, she woke up but I'm getting her back to sleep. You watch and I'll catch up in a minute."

The sweet faced Carly nodded and went back to the living room. House opened the nursery and saw Riane on her big-girl bed and a baby in the crib. He walked over and looked down at his little pumpkin. His heart always did flip flops whenever he saw her asleep in her bed. He didn't understand it and would never admit to Wilson that this little creature could rob and shoot him between the eyes and he'd still be all ga-ga over her. He understood it had some chemical origin, but there was no denying her hold on him; he loved his daughter _unconditionally_.

As he passed by Jack, he took a good look at him. He was small but well formed, nice features, pretty eyelashes. He wondered why Caleb decided to adopt a mortal? There were a lot of unanswered questions, but the one he wanted answered was where Kiara was.

House quickly walked out to the hall and looked around. He saw someone come out of the bedroom at the far end of the long hall and go downstairs. Rushing down the hall, he pushed open the oak wood door. His breath caught in the back of his throat.

The room was dark, yet he could see hospital monitors and equipment strewn throughout the room. In the bed was a body, but he couldn't make it out. He had a sneaking suspicion he had just found Kiara. Walking over to the bed, he pulled the cover down and a small sound of pain escaped from his lips.

Before him was a barely recognizable Kiara, maybe one hundred pounds, probably less. She had to have been in this state for awhile since she had already rolled into a fetal position, her fingers curled inside, her chin resting on her bony chest. His stomach turned as he followed all the equipment to the different parts of her body. There was a nasogastric tube; a blood and saline i.v.; a heart and brain monitor; and, a catheter with a urine bag.

"Oh, fuck Kiara, what did they do to you?"

The middle aged woman in scrubs with hair pulled back in a rubber band walked into the room, "Who are you?"

"Dr. House, and you?"

"I'm her physical therapist."

"Well, you're not doing a very good job are you?"

The woman wrapped her arms around her breasts. "Hey, I told Dr. Bruberry that this was unlike any case I've handled, I work and work and work her legs and arms and they're back in the fetal position the next day."

"How long has she been like this?"

"I don't know, but her morning nurse said she's been in this room for two months. I've been here a month."

"Has she responded to any treatments?"

"Treatments? There are no treatments, just physical therapy and hospice care."

"Have they told you what she has?"

The door opened and in walked Carly. "Oh, crap. No one is supposed to be up here. I could lose my job, Greg. Please, let's go back down to the living room."

"You're not going to lose your job and I'm going nowhere right now. Carly, who is Kiara's doctor?"

Carly winced and looked around, sure that she was going to be fired. "Caleb and some guy in England."

"What happened to her?"

Carly looked nervously over at the therapist. "Can we go out into the hall?"

House hesitated, but nodded. They walked out into the hall where Carly looked around. She whispered. "I'm not sure what happened. She's been back from the hospital for two months now and nothing has improved."

"What hospital?"

"Marie Thompson Memorial, the private one outside of Trenton."

"Yeah, I know it."

"She went in to—" Carly stopped midsentence, her mouth snapping shut at the site of the man coming down the hall.

House recognized Stanley the Samoan, a 5'10" head with no neck, he ran the day security which was staffed by mortals. The night security was run by vampires and a hell of a lot scarier than the beefier day crew.

"Dr. House, I'm afraid that you need to leave now. If you want to see Riane, you can talk to Lord Larkin this evening."

"Stanley, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here with Kiara."

Stanley sighed and shook his head. "I'll have to physically remove you Dr. House if you don't go willingly."

"You're going to find that I'm harder to remove than you think. Just ask the orderlies at Mayfield."

"Dr. House, I like you. Please don't make my job tougher than it has to be."

House went back into Kiara's sick room and sat down in a chair next to her bed. Stanley got on the walkie talkie and ordered a few men to the bedroom. Just as he was putting the walkie talkie away, Riane shot by him and into her father's arms as he sat on the chair. House smiled deviously at Stanley, knowing full well that security would do nothing as long as he was holding Sean's little princess.

Stanley shook his head in frustration and scuffed his shoe on the carpet. His crew had rushed to the bedroom and now they were all standing around Stanley. He whispered something to them and they went downstairs. Turning back to House, Stanley said, "Dr. House, please put Riane down and leave."

House laughed, "Do I look stupid?"

Stanley snorted and shook his head. "Fine, but when you're done visiting with your daughter, we expect you to leave."

"Yeah, well set an extra plate at dinner and tell the kings I'll be drinking their best whiskey too."

Stanley turned and went downstairs. House let Riane climb down. She ran out the door. House watched his 'cover' scurry down the hall.

"Riane! Come back here!" He yelled.

Riane stopped on a dime and turned around running back to her father. She pointed at Kiara. "Mommy sleep. She sleep a lot. She won't play with me."

House looked back at Kiara, doubting seriously that she would ever play with her daughter again. "Honey, Mommy wants to play, she's just very, very tired. Mommy loves you very much."

"I love mommy. You love mommy?"

House looked at her little face. In her world everyone loved everyone else, especially the people she loved. He wanted to set it straight, let her know that not everyone went around loving everyone, that love was elusive, that love was a complicated emotion that didn't always end in hugs and kisses. But, he couldn't break her heart just yet. There was going to be enough heartache in her little world.

"Yes, honey, Daddy loves mommy. Come on, let's find a book and read it to Mommy."

Riane and House went to her bedroom to choose the right book. He saw that Jack was no longer in the crib. They chose a Dr. Seuss book and went back in to read it to Kiara. For the next few hours, House took up residence on the second floor with his daughter. Carly brought Riane dinner and House fed it to her as he waited for the sun to go down so that he could confront Caleb and Sean.

Around seven-fifteen, the night nurse took over the shift. House took one look at the translucent skin of the nurse and knew she was a vampire; it must be dark outside. House heard several sets of footsteps rushing up the stairs. He and Riane were playing with a Fischer Price See & Say when a very stern looking Sean darkened the door. Behind him stood Caleb looking more sad and weary than angry.

House decided to go on the offensive. "Well, what the hell is going on here?"

Sean bared his rectractiles, "You barge into my home and refuse to leave and you have the nerve to cross-examine me?

House had to admit that the bared retractiles did unnerve him. He remembered Bagnoli Irpino and how quickly the dead Guardian was disposed of by Kiara. House reflexively pulled Riane behind him to protect her.

Sean saw the move and his eyes flared. "If you think I would ever hurt my granddaughter…"

"I just don't want her to see her grandfather baring his fangs at her father." The tension was so high that House was sure he was about to have a stroke.

Caleb jumped between them, staring them both down. When he was certain that they were both ready to stay calm, he reached around House and took Riane by the hand and led her to the door. He quietly told the servants to take Riane and get her ready for bed then he turned back to the two men, both still staring at each other.

"Alright, now, let's talk. Sean, we should have told Greg weeks ago. Greg, we're sorry that we misled you, but you can see now that we were frightened of what you would do if you knew that Kiara was—" The words caught in his throat as he tried to get control of his emotions.

House was moved by the emotion in Caleb's voice. He looked between the two vampires and realized they were both scared shitless, not because of him or what he could do, but because they didn't know what they would do without Kiara. They were both lost—and then it hit him—they were_ all_ lost.

"What's wrong with her?" House asked.

"She has some very strange antigens in her body and it has triggered what can only be called a cytokine storm, but we don't know what the antigen is or how to knock it down."

House's brow wrinkled as he tried to understand what they were saying. "I thought she couldn't get infections?"

"She can't. This isn't a virus or a bacteria. We're not sure what it is or how to treat it."

"Well, what have you tried?"

"Every antibiotic we could think of just in case. We've tried interferon and other anti-virals, but nothing."

House looked around. "Where's the file?"

Caleb looked at Sean for his authority to share the file with House. "He's one of the best diagnosticians in the world."

Sean growled, "For mortals. She's not a mortal."

"She's half mortal." House interjected.

"Just a minute, Greg." Caleb grabbed her file from the dresser drawer and motioned for Sean to follow.

Caleb and Sean went into one of the bedrooms to talk. "I'll take the first few pages of the file out. It's the only part of the file that refers to her pregnancy and delivery. Let me give him the rest. What have we got to lose?" Caleb said, his robin egg eyes seeking the approval of Sean's even deeper blue eyes.

"This man abandoned my daughter and wanted to take my granddaughter from us."

"Sean, Greg simply wanted Riane to have as normal a mortal life as she could and he felt that if he stayed in the world of vampires he couldn't provide that. He was never going to keep her from you or Kiara; he just wanted partial custody. You have to admit he's been good to Riane."

Sean exhaled loudly, not wanting to face the truth of what Caleb was saying. "He hurt my daughter."

"Yes, he hurt her. But, now he might be able to save her. Let's give him that chance. Let's give Kiara that chance."

"But, if he finds out about Jack, he'll take him from you."

"If he saves Kiara, then she'll take him from me. And that would give me great joy to know his mother had been returned to him. Please?"

Sean nodded. Caleb removed the papers from the file and put them under the mattress and then took the file back to House.

"Here, I hope you see something that will help."

House spent the entire night reviewing the file and researching on the internet.

Before the sun came up, Sean approached him. "Anything?"

House winced and shook his head.

Sean didn't move. His hand went out to brace himself; his disappointment overwhelming him. "I have to sleep. But, I wanted you to know that I can see how hard you're trying. Thank you."

House liked Sean. Despite their differences, he saw him as a fiercely loyal and wise person. He managed his sect with the efficiency of Microsoft and the love of Mother Theresa. House also appreciated the fact that Sean would die for Kiara and Riane, no questions asked. It was unconditional love, something House would never have believed in a million years until he had held his own daughter in his arms.

"I haven't given up. These things take time."

Sean tried to smile, but it looked more like a half-hearted attempt to be polite. He left and Caleb took his place.

"Anything that I can help you with before I go to sleep?"

"Why didn't you come to me when this happened?"

Caleb was taken off guard. He couldn't tell him the whole truth, but he didn't want to lie. "Because we were afraid of what you might do with the custody issue."

"You may have cost Kiara her life by waiting. I'm going to run some blood tests at the hospital today, I'll be back. Let security know that I should have the run of the house and grounds."

"I will."

After leaving the room, House received another phone call. Looking at the caller I.d., it was the fourth time that Laura had called, asking where he was and when would he be home. Tired, he wished he could avoid talking to her but he knew he needed to tell her what was going on.

"Hi."

Her words poured out quickly, a result of her worry, "Where are you? You said you were with a patient, but I called the hospital when you didn't answer your cell phone and they said you weren't there."

"I'm at Kiara's. She's the patient."

"What?"

"She's in a coma, has been for two months. They don't know what's wrong with her. I've been trying to diagnose her."

"Why can't then put her in the hospital and let someone else work on her case? It's not fair that you have to do it."

_Fair? He wondered what she could mean by fair? What happened to Kiara wasn't fair, but the fact that he, the best diagnostician in the country was working on the case wasn't just fair, it was logical._

"I'm her only hope."

Laura sighed. "Oh, Greg, don't be so melodramatic. You're not the only diagnostician. You could let Foreman or Taub work up the case."

"No, I'm afraid I know more about her history than they do. It makes sense. I'm taking some blood work down to the lab to run tests. I won't be home today. I'll try to get home tonight."

"Greg, please consider giving this case to someone else. I think it's in your best interest. What if she dies? Will Riane be able to forgive you for not saving her?"

"You just don't get it. I can't stop. This is what I do."

There was frustration in the sigh she let loose. "I'm saying that there might be legal ramifications if you don't hand this over."

"I'll see you when I'm done"

"Fine." The word came out with a finality that clearly conveyed her disapproval.

House went up to get blood and urine samples, telling the nurse that she could take a break. When he entered the room, the smell hit him, the smell of a sickroom, a sickly sweet. Surprisingly, he hadn't noticed it before. He opened the drapes on the east side, letting the dawn into the room.

He looked down on the balled up body and softly said, "I know you don't like sunlight, but I need the natural light to examine you. The artificial light isn't that hot in here."

House grabbed some of the blood agar vials and a disposable needle. After finding the cotton and antiseptic wipes he pulled the cover back and sat down on the bed next to her. She was still curled up.

"Fangs, it's Greg. Your little body isn't doing too well." He undid her gown and pulled it down off her shoulders to look at her skin. Besides being the translucent white of a vampire, he noticed nothing out of the usual. He examined her breasts to see if there were any lumps, perhaps tumors that were producing a reaction in her body. But there was nothing. He looked at her breasts, remembering how full and round they had been. But the loss of weight had decreased the size of them almost to the point that she looked like a little girl.

Continuing down her body, House smiled when he came to the third nipple, remembering how they had laughed about it. As he ran his hand over her body, he could feel the angular planes of her bones and the soft planes of her muscles. He found nothing abnormal except for the wasting of her body. After the examination, he rested his hand gently on the slight curve of her hip.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but he put the equipment down and climbed into bed next to her, holding her to him, her head tucked under his chin, but still against her chest. He stayed there a few minutes remembering the smell of her, the feel of her breasts against his bare chest, the sound of her voice, the lilt of her laughter. He felt such a deep sense of loss he started to cry.

"I miss you Fangs. I really, really miss you. I may be marrying Laura, but it's not because I don't love you. I just don't know how to deal with bloodsuckers. It's not logical. The whole world is foreign, unreal. But, never doubt that I loved you—that I still love you. I think I always will."

There was no miraculous reaction and he didn't expect one. House knew there was only a slight chance that she could even hear him and even less that she understood what he was saying. But, he needed the catharsis the words had brought. He kissed the top of her head and held her for a few more minutes before sitting up and taking the blood from the thin veins. He jabbed the needle several times into her arm looking for a vein that hadn't collapsed.

Once he had the vials he stuck them in a plastic bag of ice from the little refrigerator in the room that held the blood they were giving her as sustenance. As he walked through the hall, he heard a baby cry.

He paused and then diverted back to the nursery, opened the door and tried to adjust to the dim light of the nightlight projecting stars on the wall and ceiling. The room had blackout curtains that had been pulled to keep out the day. He walked over and picked up Jack, bouncing him and trying to sooth him. Taking him out to the hall, House noticed how bright blue the baby's eyes were and how small, but perfectly formed his features were. After a quick appraisal, he decided that Riane was the better looking child, although Jack had an intelligent look for an infant. House took the baby downstairs to find someone to feed him. Eventually, the nurse took him from House and went off to look for a bottle.

House left the quiet manor and drove to PPTH with his samples.


	35. Chapter 27 Part I

**Chapter 27**

**The Line Between Life and Death**

"Our wedding is just a week away and you're spending all your time with this patient. I went down to see Lisa and she said she couldn't even tell me the name of the patient because of Hippa. What's going on? There's something you're not telling me. Is it Kiara? Are you spending all of your time treating her?"

"I don't have time for your hysteria. I'll be there at the wedding, but for now, I need to concentrate on this patient." House said impatiently, tired of her constant calls and demands that he participate in some function related to the wedding.

"We have to meet with the minister tonight at seven, just be there."

He was about to tell her that, unless there was a miracle, he doubted that he would be there, but she wisely hung up. Sleep had been elusive and what sleep he had been getting was from sleeping in Kiara's bedroom with his daughter wrapped in his arms. Turning his cell phone off had been his only relief from the constant bombardment of calls from Laura as she became anxious over his lack of attention to her and the wedding.

Cuddy had agreed to allow him to treat Kiara after having dinner with Professor Caleb Burberry who explained that Kiara's father, a very wealthy man, was willing to make a substantial donation to the diagnostic department if House discovered the cure to her problem.

Lisa, who was absolutely enthralled to be having dinner with the elusive and infamous Professor Burberry, was having a hard time focusing on the conversation. She thought House's eyes were blue, but Burberry's made his look a dull grey. "Professor, I'm willing to let House work the case, but he doesn't look for cures, he looks for the "what." What is it? He leaves the cure to others."

House leaned in. "Not in this case. The "what" and the cure are linked."

Lisa listened and then turned back to gaze into Caleb's eyes. "Well, Professor, what is your interest in Kiara?" The poorly hidden attempt to find out if Kiara and Caleb were a couple wasn't lost on Caleb.

"I've known Kiara and her father for years. We're all very close."

"Will you be helping House?" Lisa asked.

Caleb glanced up at House who didn't seem to care what the response was. "I have to go back to England for a few weeks, but then I plan on returning. I will be available to Greg by telephone, e-mail, and, if necessary, the first plane back."

"So, House, who on your team will be working with you?"

"No one. Kiara's father trusts no one but me. I have her local doctors if I need anything I'm unable to do."

"How long do you think this will take? I mean, you do have a wedding coming up."

House paused and looked at his beer, "As long as it takes. Kiara's father is willing to pay all of my fees and expenses plus make the donation that Caleb was referring to so it shouldn't put a burden on the hospital."

"Well, I'd like to see Kiara, see what you're up against."

Caleb let a frown pass quickly over his face, but soon recovered. "Of course, Greg can you arrange that?"

He nodded. "Stop by tomorrow at one pm. I'll give you the address." House grabbed his keys and leaned forward. "I'm going back to the lab to read the results. I'll let you two lovebirds eat." House grinned at Caleb and left.

Watching him leave, Cuddy turned to Caleb, "He's not going to make it, is he?"

Caleb smiled, "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."

Staring back at the front door Lisa said more to herself than Caleb, "He's not going to make it to his wedding. He loves Kiara, doesn't he?"

Caleb sighed deeply. "Yes, I don't think there's any doubt about that. I think in some ways her illness is a Godsend for him. It gives him an excuse to avoid his fiancé and the wedding."

"Poor Laura. Poor Kiara. This is a real mess, but what's new? He's a walking disaster."

"He's a terrible boyfriend, but a wonderful father."

"Yes and if you had told me that ten years ago I would have had you placed in psychiatric care."

Caleb laughed along with Lisa. "Do you have children, Lisa?"

"Yes, a daughter Rachel, she's four." Lisa reached for her purse and pulled out a small photo wallet, producing several photos of a cute little girl in pigtails.

Caleb gave her a genuine smile of approval. "She's a beauty."

"She's having a little trouble adjusting to pre-school, but she's doing better. Are you married?"

"No, but I have a son and for the first year of her life I was like a father to Riane. I miss her a lot."

"Really? Were you and Kiara…"

"At one point many years ago, but not in the last few years. Her heart belonged…belongs to Greg."

"You sound like maybe you still care for her."

"Yes, but I understand that things change. What is true today may not be true in forty years."

Lisa laughed. "Is that your long term plan? Wait until Greg dies and make your move? That could be a long time from now."

"Yes, you're right, but that doesn't mean that I won't be open to finding love somewhere else." He lifted a glass to her.

Lisa blushed as she responded with a clink of her glass.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"As you guys already discovered, something stopped the progress of the autoimmune response. After remaining level, there's been a slight, but definite, drop in the number of antigens." House said, standing at the end of the dinner table looking at Caleb and Sean. "You _**must have given her some kind of treatment**_ that we haven't talked about."

"Denton, can you please have them bring the car around?" Caleb then turned and looked up at House. "What do you want us to say? We told you the antibiotics that we tried and the anti-virals."

"Something else…what else?"

Sean and Caleb tried to think, but they couldn't think of anything else. They both shook their heads.

"Well something started to work, but then it was stopped. I've tried the antibiotics and antivirals and none of them have shown any promise. What was she doing when she went into the coma?"

Sean looked at Caleb, making House suspicious.

"Why do you have to look at Sean, Caleb?"

"I just don't remember too well. I was so worried." Caleb said.

Caleb got up and went to the door, "Denton," have them bring Jack and the luggage." He turned back to House, "I'll try to think it through while I'm on the plane, if I think of something, I'll call you."

"How long are you going to be in England?" House asked.

"Several weeks."

The vampire nanny, Myra, brought the wide-awake baby to Caleb in the baby carrier while the staff loaded the town car. Caleb put the baby on the table and smiled at him, tickling him under his chin. "Hey, mate, we're going home. You're going to have to behave on the plane, no loud crooning." He turned to Sean. "Can you watch him while I go up and say goodbye to Kiara and Riane?"

Sean nodded, getting up to come over and play with Jack who closely tracked Sean as he walked around the room. Caleb left.

"That baby is pretty alert and he's grown quite a bit since I first saw him," House commented.

"The doctor said he'd probably catch up with his age group within a year. He was premature." Sean said.

"How do you know that?" House asked. It didn't make sense that Sean would take such an interest in an adopted baby.

"I talk a lot to Caleb. This boy is going to probably be in my granddaughter's life off and on; I want to make sure I know all there is about him."

House narrowed his eyes. "Maybe."

Five minutes later, Caleb showed up, his eyes watery and his shoulders slumped. He picked up the baby carrier, said a reticent goodbye to Sean and House and then took off for the airport.

House went back upstairs and helped with Riane's bath, sitting on the side of the tub while she splashed and babbled at a plastic doll that she was submersing over and over like a jumping dolphin. Looking up, she splashed water at him and laughed.

"You little hussy!" House reached down and splashed back. By the time the bath was done, they were both in need of a towel.

Sitting next to Kiara's bed, he pulled her up on his lap to read a bedtime story. He tried as much as he could to provide stimulus for Kiara, including hearing a story and the voice of her daughter as she asked questions or pointed to the photos with a running commentary. Riane didn't fall asleep with the first story, so he started another. Sitting in his chair, he felt the vibration of his cell phone.

"Hello?"

The sound of a jet engine could be heard through the receiver. "House?" Caleb yelled.

"Yeah?" House yelled back.

"I remembered something. Just a minute." Caleb said. House heard Caleb ask the attendant on the plane to heat Jack's bottle.

"What?" House screamed.

"Kiara, I gave her some of my blood at one point. But there didn't seem to be a response. It was several days before we noticed the stabilization of the antigens, so I doubt seriously if that was it. Vampire blood would have an immediate effect on the receiver."

House thought about it. "Why did you give her the blood at that point?"

"It was right after she sank into the coma."

"_And you're just now telling me this?"_

"I'm sorry, I'm sure it's moot. I don't think it had any effect on her. There was no response."

"No response then but it might have been working in the background. I remember constant improvement in my leg for four months after I shared Kiara's blood. Maybe it didn't work right away, it just needed time. After all, she's half mortal."

House heard the attendant tell Caleb to put his phone away. "I've got to go. I'll call you when I get to England."

The line went dead.

It was a nuisance that he only remembered as he was taking off. House called Sean to come up to Kiara's room.

Sean appeared in his tailored slacks and crisply ironed buttoned down shirt. "Yes?"

"Cut your wrist and let Kiara have some of your blood."

Sean pulled his head back. "But, we tried that and it didn't work. There was no response."

"That's because you guys expect it to work right away. You're not used to having to wait for it to work. We're going to try it again, so here." He handed Sean a scalpel.

Sean walked over to the bed, "Would you please take Riane to her room?"

House nodded and left to put Riane down in her bed. She tried to follow him back to the sick room, but House turned to yell, but then realized that she must have picked up on the seriousness of the adult's voices and was worried.

"Honey, I have to help your mommy so you need to help her by going to sleep now. When you wake up, we'll have to read her another story. Okay?"

Riane nodded, searching House's face for some reassurance that everything was fine. House gave her a big smile.

"You're such a good girl."

"Where's Jack?" She pointed to the crib.

"Jack went home for awhile, but he'll be back. Now get in bed."

She crawled into bed and pulled the covers up. House bent over, kissed her little lips and then turned on the nightlight before turning out the table light.

When he returned, he saw the blood pouring into Kiara from the cut in Sean's wrist.

"That's enough! It's starting to pour out of her mouth."

Sean seemed to be in a daze. "Oh! I'm sorry. I was just thinking that if this would have helped I would have given her all my blood."

"You haven't been very forthcoming, Sean; and now I need real answers." He handed a towel for Sean to wrap around his wrist. "The antigens, I checked Kiara's blood from last year and there were some, not many, in her bloodstream. Obviously, they were so few that they were tolerable by her body. Something triggered a response and the production of these specific antigens. I've haven't seen much of her for the last seven months and when I have, she's been in bed or not feeling well. Her reaction reminds me of an Rh factor in a pregnant—" House stopped and looked in horror at Sean. "_Jack! The baby, premature baby!" _House shook his head violently. "No, she wouldn't keep a pregnancy from me." Sean showed no emotion or response, but took a chair across the bed from House, who sat staring into space thinking it through. "She went into a coma when she delivered Jack, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"Jack is my son?"

Sean didn't answer.

"_Answer me! Jack is my son?"_

"Jack has a father, one that loves my daughter with all his heart. One that's not ashamed that he's part vampire. You've been cruel to my daughter, Greg. You've made her believe that her child should be raised as a mortal yet Riane will need blood all her life and need to understand how that makes her different. She'll have heightened senses and outlive most of her loved ones. And who do you think is going to be able to teach her how to deal with this? Your mortal wife? Have you even told her the truth about your daughter?"

House hadn't told Laura. He didn't know how to reveal Riane's heritage, her terrible secret. He knew Laura wouldn't believe him. Sean was right; he was ill-equipped to deal with these issues. What was he thinking? His daughter had the best of both worlds, a mortal father and a vampire mother, between the two they could have gotten her through anything. The problem wasn't Kiara, the problem was House and his inability to deal with the illogic of the living dead.

"I want my son."

"He's not your son, Greg. His birth certificate states that Caleb is his father; even the passports say he's Caleb's son, he's named after him—Caleb Sean Larkin. If you try to take Jack from his father, you're going to have to reveal his genetic makeup and then Jack and Riane will both become freaks, open to being prodded and tested by governments all over the world. Your life, Kiara's and the lives of your children will never have any sense of normalcy."

"Then you should make Caleb return my son. If you love him, you won't want any of that to happen to him."

"I must admit, I haven't been that close to Jack, at least not at first. I blamed him and you for what happened to Kiara , but I know how much Caleb loves him. If he finds out that you plan to tell someone or expose his heritage, you won't live to tell Jack's secret. Riane will lose her father and you will lose your life."

A shiver ran down his spine. "Even if I managed to cure your daughter?"

Sean looked over at Kiara, her vertebrae sticking through the gown as she curled tightly into a ball of flesh. "If Kiara is cured, then Caleb will share custody with her, perhaps even give Kiara full custody and then Kiara can decide. But we don't know if you'll cure her."

"I'm taking my daughter and leaving." House threatnened.

Sean let a demonic smile pass over his lips. "No, Greg, you're not taking Riane anywhere right now. If you change the custody agreement, then I'll be forced to do something I really don't want to do. I think you're a good father and I want Riane to grow up knowing you. But, she also has Caleb and me in her life; she'll have male role models if something were to happen to you. You aren't that necessary."

"You'd kill me?"

"Not unless you renege on your custody agreement. Besides, Greg, you need me. I provide protection for Riane twenty-four hours a day. She needs protection from the Guardians. We've done substantial damage to the cell here in Princeton, but there will be other Guardians to take their place."

"Wow, I can't believe you're threatening me!"

"I can't believe that you would threaten to take my granddaughter from the people who love her."

"But, she's more mortal than you or Kiara. She sleeps at night, she doesn't appear to have large retractiles; she only needs minute amounts of blood every so often."

"She still has vampire blood."

"What about Jack?"

"Jack wakes during the night, has normal retractile buds and needs much more blood to survive than his sister."

House sank into the chair, disappointed. "You aren't lying are you?"

Sean shook his head. "No, Jack is more of a vampire than Riane. He will need our guidance much more than she will. But, Greg, I like you. I don't want us to argue. In fact, if you will allow things to remain as they are, I will give you a large estate nearby that I own. You and your wife can be closer to Riane when she's staying with us. So, if you needed to visit her, you'd be close by."

House laughed. "I'm not getting married."

Sean was shocked. "What?"

House pulled out his cell phone and put his voicemail on speaker.

The woman's voice was trembling; she was obviously crying. _"I know you won't return my call, so I'll just tell you on the phone. It's over Greg; I've cancelled the wedding and sent out notice to our guests. I can't marry you. I need to know that you love me and aren't just settling for second best. I don't know whether or not you love Kiara, but is seems to me that you're obsessed with her. Good luck, Greg. When you come up for air, I expect you to move out. I'll pack your things for you and leave them in the garage. Leave the garage remote and the key on my desk at work when you're done."_

The next call was from Wilson. "_House, please call Laura, she's telling everyone that the wedding is off, that you're breaking up. She even asked me to pick up your things from the condominium. I don't know what's going through your brain, but don't keep her in limbo. Call her, call me."_

Sean listened and then looked up at House, "Is this because of the time that you've spent here over the last few weeks?"

"Yes and no. The time here just confirmed that I still have feelings for Kiara. I realized the first night I saw her like this that she was more important to me than Laura. Now, is that love? Maybe, maybe not. I just know that if I had to choose, I'd choose Kiara."

Sean heaved a heavy sigh of disappointment. "Why didn't you figure this out before?"

House rolled his eyes. "You've lived in the vampire world for almost two hundred years. I've lived in it for two. I'm a doctor, I think logically. This—all of this—isn't logical. The only way I could make sense of it all was to set up my own little logical world and Laura provided that. She's a good person. She's a loving person. She really deserved a lot better."

"So did Kiara."

House looked away. "You're right. I've let them both down."

"Save Kiara, Greg."

"I want Caleb to bring Jack back to Princeton. We need to talk."

"We'll talk to him later."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	36. Chapter 27 Part II

**Chapter 27 Part II**

**The Line Between Life and Death**

**x x x x x xx x x x break**

"He knows about Jack," Sean spoke into his Bluetooth.

"Yes, I knew he was close to discovering the truth, that's why I left."

"He wants his son."

Caleb said nothing at first, absorbing what this meant. "I'll be back over in two weeks. Did he have you give Kiara some blood?"

"Yes, do you think he's right?"

"It's the only other thing we did to treat her. It's worth a shot."

"He's running more blood tests today. I gave her the blood on Monday."

"Let me know."

"Goodbye Caleb, give Jack my love."

Caleb smiled, Sean was finally forgiving the little baby for Kiara's illness.

x x x xx x x break x x x x x

"Lord Larkin, I'm convinced her hand has relaxed. It's not as rigid, not as tight fisted." The new nurse was standing in front of him, having stayed over to help House pull more blood.

"Show me." He followed her up the stairs.

Entering the room, Sean turned on the lights and examined her. He noticed that her head had pulled away slightly from her chest, that the fist was relaxing. Sean ran down the hall and crashed through the door. House was asleep in Kiara's bed and, according to the staff, House had slept twelve hours straight.

"Greg! Greg!"

House stirred and lifted his head. "What? Riane?"

"No, Kiara. You need to see this."

House jumped up as if a fire had been lit under him. Splitting his time between the patients at the hospital, Kiara and Riane, the lack of sleep had finally taken its toll and he had collapsed. But, the excitement in Sean's voice had stirred him. He ran down the hall in his boxers and t-shirt.

Throwing the door open, he went to the bed and immediately saw the changes. He turned to Sean.

"You have to give her more blood."

Sean nodded vigorously. "Of course, of course." He immediately repeated the process and then stepped back.

House dressed and ran out the door, driving to PPTH on a moonless night to check the blood samples he had just drawn at PPTH. Wheeling into the parking lot, he felt elated, a happiness he hadn't felt in a long time. After words with Foreman, he made his way to the lab and looked through the slides prepared by the lab for him. He had explained to them how he wanted them to be prepared, but told them that they did not have to read them, he would. With the backup in lab work, the staff was more than happy to skip reading the slides.

He took a deep breath and then peered down at the slide focusing it into sharp clarity. He counted and then pushed back from the bench, overwhelmed with the relief and happiness he was feeling. Sobbing, he tried desperately to get control of his emotions. Fortunately he was in the back of the lab away from the glass walls and prying eyes of the casual observer. He pulled out his cell phone and called Sean.

Sean answered his cell with a hopeful, "Hello?"

House burst out with, "The tests show that the antigens are clearing dramatically! About twenty percent less today."

The guttural sound that came from Sean matched the emotions that House had felt. He understood when Sean could say no more on the phone.

"I'll be back in the morning; I need to talk to my staff before I leave."

After a few seconds, there was a very weak and wobbly, "Thank you" from Sean.

"Don't thank me; it's your blood doing the job."

"Should I give her more?"

"No, I think every few days will be enough."

"Fine. Do you think she'll come out of the coma?"

House thought for a second, "I don't know Sean; I just don't know."

"Well, I'm going to be hopeful. In fact, I think I'll go down to the Church tonight and light some candles and go to confession. I'm also going to call Caleb."

"Sean?"

"Yes, Greg?"

"Let him know that he saved Kiara that night by giving her his blood. If he hadn't stopped the process, she'd be dead."

"I will."

"Of course, if you two had been forthcoming, she'd be well on her way to recovery, possibly cured, so don't go patting yourselves on the back yet."

It had been three days since he told Sean that his blood was saving his daughter. Each day Kiara showed some improvements-- some bigger than others. She had reacted to sound one day, moved her lips in a sucking motion the next and generally started to show response signs.

House stayed to brainstorm with his team regarding their new patient, before running back to see if Kiara was improving. He was on the computer at PPTH when the phone call came through from Kiara's current day nurse.

"She's not curled up today! I massaged her legs and arms and they stayed straightened! I'm so excited! Dr. House, I think she's getting better! I was able to move her without propping her on her side with wedges. Even her bed sore looks better today."

One of the most difficult aspects of taking care of a comatose patient is to ensure that they are moved constantly to prevent bedsores, but even in the best situation, bedsores occur. Kiara had developed one over the last month that was proving difficult to treat.

House had expected something. The blood counts were showing dramatic improvements. In fact, the antigens had dropped by fifty percent falling ten percent each day.

House arrived back at the around six and was greeted by Riane who threw herself around her father's legs when he walked through the door. "Whoa! I'm going to fall over pumpkin. Let Daddy go, I have to go up to see Mommy."

"Mommy? Mommy talked to me."

"What?" House asked.

"Mommy told me uhhhh."

House grabbed her hand and walked up the stairs. Riane ran in front of him into the sick room, jumping up on the bed yelling.

"Mommy, wake up, wake up."

House looked at the nurse. "Did Kiara say something?"

"She groaned today."

"Really?"

"Yes, Riane was kissing her face and she gave out a soft moan. I don't know if it was in response to Riane or if it was just air escaping. But Riane thinks her mother spoke to her."

House nodded. "Thanks, you can go now. I'll watch her until the shift change."

The nurse happily left a half hour early. House pulled back the blankets and saw that Kiara's legs were more or less straight. They were rail thin, somewhat wasted, but they were not curled into her chest. House smiled to himself. Riane kept playing with her mother's short, stubbly, hair cut, rubbing her hand over Kiara's skull over and over. House almost stopped her, but decided that the stimulation might just be what she needed. Riane finally ended her affection with a big kiss on Kiara's lips and a hug around her neck.

"Mommy, wake up and play with me." She said softly into Kiara's face.

House's heart tugged, hoping that soon her mother would do just that. Slipping his arm around his daughter's waist, House picked Riane up. "Pumpkin, time for us to wash up for dinner. Granddad is going to be up soon."

House took Riane into the bathroom where they both cleaned up. He heard footsteps climb up the stairs and knew that Sean was making his way to see Kiara. House walked in behind him and caught Sean with tears in his eyes.

Sean shook his head and looked away, embarrassed that he had been caught in this emotional moment. "Excuse me. Let me just clear my throat."

"Oh, don't be such a softy. We don't know if this will last, but it's nice to see her stretched out." House went over to the bed and saw her back starting to hunch over again. "She was a little straighter an hour ago."

"Is she curling up again?" Sean asked.

"A little."

That night, after putting Riane to bed and spending a few hours with Sean in front of the television watching a couple of movies, House went up to Kiara's sick room. Anne Marie, the vampire nurse who had been the most competent and trustworthy, was with her. House talked to her for a few minutes about Kiara's improvement and then he dismissed her.

"Take the night off, I'm going to stay with her. Could you remove the IV and monitors for tonight before you leave?"

" Sure. Do you want the nasal tube removed?"

"No, leave it in."

Anne Marie removed everything, thanked House for the night off and left.

House nodded, waited for her to leave and then took off his clothes down to his boxers, climbing in behind Kiara and pulling her into him at the waist. Wrapping his body around her, he kept her from curling over during the night. In reality, the closeness was as much for him as for her. It was great holding her, feeling her in his arms, but it wasn't the same as before. She didn't smell like herself. All the lotions and medications on the bed sore and the rest of her body masked the musk that House loved so much. Even her body felt foreign with its exposed angles and bones sticking out.

During the night, Sean checked on Kiara and was surprised to find House wrapped around her. At first he was unnerved by it, but when he saw how peaceful they both looked, he backed out of the room and went back downstairs.

Saturday morning House woke up and, after having his morning pee, went to Riane's nursery only to discover that Riane was downstairs already with the nanny. He showered and dressed before joining Riane in the kitchen for breakfast. The doorbell rang, the hollow chimes ringing throughout the house. Curious, House got up and went to the front door only to watch Denton open the door so that Caleb's coffin could be placed into the cellar. House went to the car and looked inside for Jack, but he wasn't around. Furious, House followed the coffin, waited for the doors to the cellar to be closed and banged on Caleb's coffin.

After five minutes of constant banging, Caleb opened the lid and blinked up at Greg. "Greg, I'm very groggy, can this wait until tonight? Please?"

"Where's my son?" House growled.

"Your son? You mean Jack?"

"Yes, I mean Jack."

"He's at home with his nanny. I'm only staying a few days and I didn't want to upset his routine for such short visit."

"I _want my son!"_

"Kiara hid her pregnancy from you because she feared what you would do. She gave you her heart, welcomed you into her world with her daughter and you not only threw her love away, but decided on your own that she was an unfit mother and only you could provide a stable environment for Riane. Until Kiara decides what's in her son's best interest, he's staying with me. He's a happy baby and well loved."

Greg stepped forward and grabbed Caleb's collar. Teeth clenched, he growled, _"I want my son!'_

Caleb debated about baring his retractiles, but realized that House knew who and what Caleb was already. House's outburst was all show, because House knew Caleb could devour him in one swift move. The bravado was to prove to Caleb how serious he was about getting his son back. Caleb admired him for taking the risk to show how much he was dedicated to being a father.

Caleb took a deep breath. "I love Jack. Right now he's in a good place. Let's concentrate our efforts on Kiara and then I promise that I'll bring Jack over next month and you can visit with him."

"Visit? You're going to leave him here, with his sister and me."

"I will talk to you more after I've had some sleep. I have no more to say until then." Caleb tried to close the lid on the coffin, but House held it up. "Greg, when I don't have my sleep I'm a very grumpy _vampire, vampire_ being the operative word here. I'll speak with you this evening. Now please let me sleep."

Strangely, Caleb's calmness and the use of the word 'please' struck a chord with the little boy in House. He backed off and closed the lid, still frustrated but somewhat appeased by the fact that he had gotten his anger across to Caleb. House stormed up to the piano and sat down to play out some of his frustrations.

Riane heard her father playing and ran to the salon with her arms up, wanting to climb into his lap while he was playing.

House shook his head, "Riane, Daddy needs alone time to play by himself."

When Riane continued to try and crawl up onto the bench he let out a laugh of annoyance. Gripping her waifish wrist, House pulled her off the bench, causing the startled blue eyes to burst into tears. At that moment he wished desperately that Kiara was there to step in and remove Riane. He wanted to scream at his daughter, tell her to shut up and get out, just let him alone for fifteen minutes

_I just need some time on my own!_

House realized he should have gone home and spent the night, taken a break from everything, but he felt that Riane needed a parent around and most parents don't get 'time-outs.' Nonetheless, he was fried. Between work, Kiara, Riane and his anger over Jack, House could feel his patience waning. Looking down, he thought of Kiara and the few times she had lost her patience. What had she done? She took a deep breath and moved forward, accepted that her daughter came first.

_Crap. _"Come on Pumpkin, let Daddy help you up." House reached down and picked her up, holding her for a few minutes as he used a free hand to pick out a tune on the piano. Riane watched and smiled, the last of the tears still attached to the ends of her eyelashes. The swell of love he felt in his heart for her was overpowering. He kissed the tears off the lashes and gave her a big smile. Within minutes she wiggled to get down and ran off to play with her toys. House finally had his fifteen minutes.

By four in the afternoon, House went up to see if Riane was up from her nap. Looking into the nursery, the big-girl bed was empty. House looked in Kiara's bedroom, but she wasn't there.

"Riane? Where are you?" House started towards the stairs.

"Daddy? I'm talking to Mommy." Her voice came from the sick room.

House walked down and looked inside. Riane was lying down next to her mother, her head on the pillow facing her mother. Kiara was lying in the same position that House had left her earlier, her eyes closed, her breathing normal.

"Okay, Pumpkin. It's good you talk to Mommy, she likes to hear your voice, but we need to get you downstairs and feed you."

She kissed her mother's nose and started to get out of bed. "Mommy looked at me."

House paused and looked back at Kiara and waited a few minutes, but there was no change, no reason to believe that she had opened her eyes. "Come on baby, let's go downstairs."


	37. Chapter 27 Part III

**Chapter 27 Part III**

**The Line Between Life and Death**

That night, Caleb made his entrance to a very happy welcome from Riane. She ran and jumped into his arms.

"Caleb, Caleb, Caleb! Where's Jack?"

"He's at home in England."

She smothered his face with kisses as Caleb smiled and hugged the little munchkin. "Riane, I missed you so much…I brought you something!"

"Doll?" She asked as her eyes grew big and her mouth opened wide. "Caleb! Dolly, dolly?"

"Let me get Gordon to bring your gift up." Caleb handed Riane to her father and then called through the intercom to the lair for Gordon to bring up the gift.

"While you're at it, have Gordon bring up my son!" Greg yelled across the room.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Do we have to argue in front of Riane? She's a child and it's always disturbing when a child sees two people they love fight."

House clenched his fist and mouthed at Caleb, "Fuck you." But he put his hand on Riane's back and guided her out of the room. "Pumpkin, go find Myra and tell her I said you could have some Jello."

"Daddy! Doll, Caleb give me doll." She protested.

House sighed and narrowed his eyes at Caleb, "Fine, baby, you can wait for your gift and then I have to talk to Caleb."

There was dead silence for a few minutes and then Gordon appeared through the doorway, holding an exquisitely wrapped package in silver foil with purple and pink silk ribbons that curled and whirled around the box. Riane squealed causing House to put his hands to his ears.

"Dolly!" She ran to Gordon who was already kneeling down to give the box to her.

Caleb laughed and sat in a chair to watch her open the package. The two little hands reached up and grabbed the box which was almost as tall as her. She took it and tried to take it over to Caleb, but kept dropping it. Looking up at Caleb, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed into a pout.

"What Riane? Aren't you going to open it?" Caleb asked.

"You help me." She cried out.

"Oh, treacle, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you wanted me to help you." Caleb went over and sat on the floor, pulling Riane into his lap along with the box.

He was so gentle with her that House couldn't help but like the guy. There was something graceful, loving, and judicious about him. Caleb was hard to rattle and not only was he wise like an old soul, he was an old soul. Maybe Jack was better off with him? House tried hard to be patient with Riane, but it didn't come easy, not like it did to Caleb. House wrestled all the time with being a parent. He longed for time by himself to indulge in the joys of good whiskey, porno and piano playing. He sometimes longed to go back to the days when he had no ties and could indulge his more iniquitous side.

More squeals. "Daddy! Dolly! Look at my dolly!"

Riane came running over with the pretty brunette doll with blue eyes. House smiled and nodded at her as she labored to bring the doll to him in the chair. He climbed down to the floor, wrapped an arm around the middle of Riane and together they looked at the doll. At first it didn't register with House, but then he looked closely. The doll was the spitting image of Riane.

"This doll looks like—"

"I gave a doll-maker a photo of Riane and she made the doll in her likeness. It's quite popular right now. I thought when she's older it will be fun for her to have a doll that looks like she did."

"It's creepy." House croaked.

"Pretty dolly, Daddy!" Riane grinned up at House.

House smiled back and nodded, "She's very pretty. What are you going to name her?"

"Chakra!"

"Honey, Chakra is your cat." House said as if his two year old could think logically about names.

"Chakra is pretty. Dolly is pretty."

Caleb was still sitting on the floor in his tailored black slacks and long-sleeved black and white striped shirt, black Cole Hahn shoes. He chuckled, "It's a lovely name, Acushla."

Myra came into the room for instructions.

House handed Riane over. "Can you bathe her and feed her?"

"I think we can do that." Myra said cheerfully as she took the doll and Riane's hand.

When they left, House turned to Caleb. "That doll isn't some voodoo vampire thing, is it?"

Caleb laughed. "No, it's an age old tradition of the upper class to have dolls made to look like their daughters. Nowadays, it's just easier for a doll maker to make it the spitting image of the little girl. But, Riane will soon grow and the doll won't look like her quite as much."

"I want my son." House said with conviction.

Caleb rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I know you do Greg. I promise to bring him over soon for a visit."

"No, I want him to live here, in Princeton with me and his sister. You and Sean had no right doing what you did."

"Sean was in no position to take care of him when he was born. He blamed Jack for what happened to Kiara. I took him, I'm raising him and I love him. He's safe and he's a happy Vampire." Caleb leaned forward and took a deep breath. "Greg, Jack is no Riane. His vampire characteristics are much stronger than his sister's. In a way, he's easier for me to raise than Riane because our circadian clocks are closer together. His mortal nanny tells me that he cries when he is in direct sunlight and he sleeps constantly during the day. He reminds me of Kiara when she was a baby. He can take the sunlight, but isn't quite comfortable in it, just like she was. I remember her nanny always complaining that she slept until three in the afternoon no matter how hard she tried to entertain her."

House watched Caleb stand, walk across the room and take a seat on the brocade couch.

"Caleb, I want to raise my son. I know it's not going to be easy; if there's one thing I've learned, being a parent is a crap job, especially when you're a selfish SOB like me. But, I'm not going to be the father that I had. I'm going to be in my kids' lives even if I don't always do a great job."

"But you constantly talk about raising Riane in a mortal home. That won't work for Jack. He's going to need support from us. We're going to have to teach him how to be a vampire. If you aren't willing to acknowledge that, then I refuse to bring him home."

House pushed back his chair as he jumped up, his face clenched in anger. "Who the hell do you think you are? You can't just hijack my kid."

Caleb looked up at him and in a voice that was eerily calm nodded, "Yes, I can and we both know I can. Hopefully, Kiara will recover and this will all be moot. But, I know that Sean and Riane will be a big part of Jack's life which means I won't be able to keep him away from you. I have two options. I can kill you or I can let you raise Jack as long as you agree to certain conditions. You must promise that he will spend part of the summer with me in England and some of the holidays."

House froze, studying Caleb to see if this was a bluff, but he could tell from Caleb's calmness that it wasn't. Caleb was willing to kill for Jack. House was no fool. If Jack was going to need to learn how to be a vampire, he should be taught by the most respected ones in the vampire kingdom, Caleb and Sean. House nodded, "I'll let Jack see you. I'll arrange some time for him in England and as far as holidays, his sister and I will want him to spend them with us here in Princeton, but you can join us."

"And when I'm in Princeton I can have him over here to stay with me?"

"Yes, he can stay with you and Sean when you are in town provided that he gets to school."

"Greg, he's not going to school. He won't be able to stay awake and the sun will be a problem for him. He'll need a vampire tutor which I'm sure Sean will arrange for him."

House was about to protest, but it would have been futile. If Caleb was telling him the truth, and he had ever reason to believe he was, then his son would need a tutor, like Kiara.

"May I see Kiara? I understand there's been some more improvement from when we last spoke." Caleb asked.

"Go see for yourself." House looked around. "Where's Sean?"

"He'll be up; he was getting his hair cut."

They climbed the stairs to the second floor, Caleb leading the way. He walked into the sick room and said hello to the nurse. "Can we be alone, please?"

The nurse took her book and left the room. Caleb went over to the bed and sat on the edge, pulling down the covers to examine her limbs. The legs were only slightly bent and the arms were relaxed by her side. Her lips were no longer the light bluish-purple that they had been.

"This is wonderful. You've done a great job, Greg. Is that the only progress?"

"Riane said that her mother said something to her. I think it was a moan, but at least it was something."

Caleb stroked the top of her head then leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Acushla, Darling, táim anseo. Féach tú amhlaidh go hálainn. Tar ar ais chugainn. Is tú mo ghrá."

"You speak Gaelic?"

Caleb nodded. "When she was a little girl it was the only language she knew until her English vampire nanny arrived when she was three. It was the Victorian period and men didn't interfere with the upbringing of infants. So she was more or less raised by several Irish mortal and vampire nannies who spoke mainly Gaelic."

"What did you just say to her?"

Caleb chuckled and turned to House. I said, "Loved one, I am here. You look so beautiful. Come back to us. I love you."

"_I love you?_ I'm standing right here."

"Well, the last time Kiara was conscious, you were getting married and we were back together."

"You were living with Fangs?"

"When I was here I was staying in the same room with her."

"Rubbing uglies?"

Caleb frowned and changed the subject. "So the blood, if we had given her the blood all along, she would probably have come out of it?"

House nodded, "She would have probably come out of it months ago. Now, I'm not sure about her ability to revive her brain cells. Her o-stats haven't been the best, but we'll see. If she becomes conscious we may get our answer. So, back to my question. Were you banging Kiara?"

"Yes." Caleb answered then pulled the covers up, tucked Kiara in and walked out ignoring House.

"So, when she comes out of this, are you going to make a play for her?"

"Greg, I think you have this backwards. Kiara and I are a couple. The question is whether you're going to make a play for her?"

House thought about it. "Yeah, I am. She's the mother of my children and I just gave up a perfectly sane and, I may add, very hot woman to babysit her drooling marshmallow of a head. I love her."

"Well, I suspect you have a good chance. She only slept with me because I was a safe port in the storm—someone who would heal her wounded ego when you left her. She knows I love her and always will."

"Yeah, well I love her more. I _need_ her more." House said with such childish one-up-manship that Caleb just shook his head and chuckled.

"The difference, Greg, is that I'll be here even if she wakes up a vegetable. Can you say the same thing?"

House looked at Kiara and realized that there was a 50/50 chance that Caleb was right. Could he handle two kids and a vegetable? These last few months, with just one kid and a comatose vegetable had been hard. What about a walking breathing cabbage and a new vampire son? Was he capable of dealing with all that emotion, the desperation of taking care of someone who would never have sex with you again, the child who was as foreign to you as you were to him? House didn't answer Caleb because he wasn't sure.

They both went downstairs and, although awkward, they spent time talking about Greg's diagnosis and treatment of Kiara. The fact that he still didn't know why the vampire blood worked was a topic of conversation for hours. Caleb shared with Greg the genetic research that the International Order of Vampires had authorized over the years. Certain unidentifiable proteins existed in vampire blood that caused the healing along with a specific enzyme that could only be identified in vampire blood. Attempts to recreate these proteins and enzymes had been impossible.

"I'm not a researcher, but I bet Pfizer would love to get its hands on your blood."

Nodding, Caleb shrugged, "We have some of the best scientists from over the last century who have worked on it. We vampires contribute a lot to science; we just have to do it silently or like Kiara, at night."

"I'm off to bed. Oh, and just so you know, I've been sleeping with your girlfriend at night, making sure she doesn't curl up."

Caleb looked into his drink and raised an eyebrow to suggest that he knew he was being yanked. "I could relieve you of that duty tonight, Greg. I was hoping to have some time with Kiara, perhaps read her some of her favorite poetry."

House crossed his arms over his chest, hurt that he didn't know what Kiara's favorite poetry was. "Sorry, but Kiara and I need our sleep."

"Then I suggest that you sleep in another bedroom because tonight, I plan to spend it with Kiara. I wanted to tell her about Jack."

House narrowed his eyes. "I don't really want you to have alone time with her."

Caleb stood and put his drink on the table. "This isn't up for discussion or debate. I appreciate what you have done for Kiara, but I only have a few days here and I would like to spend some of my nights with her."

House realized that Caleb could easily attack him, remove enough blood and leave enough tranquilizer behind that House would be unable to move. So it was futile to make a move. "Fine, I'll let you have tonight with her."

Caleb, being the gentleman he is, nodded, "Thank you Greg, it means a lot to me to have time with her. I appreciate your kindness."

House made his way reluctantly to Kiara's bedroom and undressed. Looking around at all of her possessions, he wondered what else he didn't know about Kiara. Caleb had one hundred and sixty-nine years of knowing Kiara, had been there from the beginning.

Sneaking down the hall in the middle of the night, House found Caleb in a chair leaning in towards Kiara, holding her hand to his lips and just staring ahead. If House hadn't been so jealous, he would have been heartbroken for the vampire. Caleb looked as if he was in hell. House went back to Kiara's room. Around four in the morning, he heard footsteps and realized that Caleb had gone down to have his version of breakfast, before retiring for the day.

Walking down the hall in his boxers and t-shirt, House climbed in bed with Kiara and held her, finally falling asleep for an hour. He woke up and discovered that Kiara had moved slightly on her own. Her quiet face was turned towards his on the pillow. He noticed how peaceful and calm she looked today.

"You know Fangs, you need to wake up soon. It's a shame to let all these good morning woodies go to waste."

Her eyes flew open.

House jumped back letting out a scream like a little girl, "Jesus Christ! You scared me." He took a deeper look into her eyes, they weren't following him, but the eyes were responding to light by dilating. "Fangs? Can you hear me? If you can hear me blink twice."

Kiara continued to stare forward. The doorway darkened as a breathless Caleb zipped inside.

"What's wrong? I heard the scream. Her eyes! Is she responding to you?" His excitement was palpable.

"Fangs, Kiara, if you hear me, blink twice." House repeated.

She closed her eyes but did not blink.

House looked up at him and shook his head. "She's not able to focus on my voice, but she opened her eyes and she moved earlier."

"Moved?"

"She turned towards me on the pillow."

"That's good, right?"

House shrugged. "Hell, your guess is as good as mine."

Caleb sat down in the chair. "God, I've been praying to the Gods for this."

"The Gods?"

"Sorry, it's a slip of the tongue. I'm still an old Roman Soldier at heart."

House almost told him how cool that was, but didn't want to give Caleb any Kudos after their earlier conversation. "You should try to get her to blink." House said.

"Darling, Acushla, blink twice for us. Blink twice, Kiara."

There was nothing and then her eyes flew open again.

Caleb quickly leaned closer. "Kiara, blink for us."

They waited a few minutes, but there was nothing. She eventually closed her eyes again. There was no movement for half an hour.

Caleb stood up, realizing that he needed to get ready for bed. "What do you think?"

"It could be involuntary, but who knows? It may be the beginning of her awakening. I can't say. I do know one thing." House looked into Caleb's eyes.

"What?"

"You need to bring her baby back. She may not react to you or me, but a baby's cry has a certain effect on a new mother."

Caleb shook his head and laughed. "That's a great excuse for me to bring Jack home, but I think there's some truth to what you're saying. I'll go home tomorrow and fetch Jack. I'll be back by the end of the week with him. But, you will abide by our agreement? Right?"

House looked at Caleb and it hit him. Caleb wasn't doing any of this for his own gratification. Everything he had done, including taking Jack to England, had been out of love for Kiara, a love that had lived in his heart for decades, probably a century. Caleb may be his rival, but he wasn't his enemy. If Jack spent time learning how to be a vampire from Caleb, then it was the best of both worlds. Out of all the vampires he had met in the last year, Caleb and Sean were truly kings among men. They had more wisdom and patience, Caleb more so, than anyone he had ever met, including the long suffering Wilson.

"Sure, I'll let Jack spend time with you. Of course, Kiara will have a say, but I'll honor our agreement."

Caleb gave House a phone number and asked that he contact Melody Brach to arrange for his departure home. House nodded and watched as Caleb walked towards the cellar just as the dawn began to break over the lawn of the manor.

**Dear Readers:**

**I am very grateful for the kind reviews. Thank you so much. I appreciate the fact that you take time out of your day to write to me. I try to put a lot of thought into my stories and it's only through your feedback that I know someone is reading and enjoying it. Thanks again.**


	38. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Father's Day**

_I should have known he was my son. Look at those intelligent eyes, he's so good looking. Caleb was right, he didn't start to really wake up until almost twilight. He's watching me like a hawk…he smiles when Caleb comes around. But that makes sense, he doesn't really know me. He smiled at his sister._

House held Jack up and blew on his round tummy, but Jack's reaction wasn't what he expected. Jack stared at him as if his father was loony tunes. House realized that he was going to have to win his son's heart. Four months old and the baby was already calling the shots. Did parents ever win?

"Greg!" Sean's voice rang out from upstairs.

House, holding Jack in one arm, quickly climbed the stairs and ran down the hall where he could see Sean with a towel wrapped around his wrist, Caleb sitting on the bed by the pillow and Kiara, her eyes wide open. This was nothing new; Kiara had started opening her eyes for several minutes at a time for the last four days. But, when House walked to the side to look at her monitor, Kiara's eyes followed him.

"Oh, wow, that's cool." House said, smiling at Kiara. "Hey Fangs—"

"What did you call her?" Sean asked, his voice edged with anger.

House shook his head, "Sean, I just like to tease her. Kiara doesn't mind, so give it a rest. She's tracking, that's fantastic."

"Kiara, this is Jack, your son." He pushed the baby towards her, "It's Jack, your son,your baby boy."

Kiara switched from watching House to looking at the baby.

"Did you see that?" House asked like a little boy who had just seen a comet.

Caleb nodded with a huge smile.

"Yes! She's tracking Jack. It's great."

House motioned for Caleb to put Kiara's arms out to take the baby. Caleb sat Kiara up and then, wrapping his own arms around, helped her hold the baby to her chest.

At first Kiara stared back at House, but then, as Jack squirmed in her arms she looked down into the baby's eyes. The baby looked up at her and gave her a wide heart melting smile.

The men all smiled too. House looked from Jack's smile to Kiara and his heart stopped, she was smiling at her son.

"Holy shit."

Caleb and Sean both followed House's stare and saw the smile on Kiara's face.

"Acushla, oh, my Acushla, it's Daddy."

Kiara looked up and smiled at her father. Sean started crying. Within minutes all the men were turning away and wiping around their eyes. Kiara said nothing, but Caleb kept his supportive arms around her and the baby until she finally closed hers and leaned back onto his chest.

"She needs to sleep." Caleb said quietly.

Sean took Jack and the three men left the room with the baby and made their way to the salon. Sean sat in the overstuffed chair by the fireplace and leaned back with Jack still in his arms. Sean turned to House, not Caleb, "Greg, this is good, right?"

"Hell yeah, this is great. She's connected with her kid. That's totally rad."

Sean turned to Caleb, "Thank you Caleb, for being a good father to Jack and for bringing him home to his mother."

"I love him Sean; I love his mother." Caleb said, bringing up the 800 lb. gorilla in the room.

They both looked at House. Sean asked quietly, "Greg, where does that leave you?"

"It leaves me with a son and a daughter and when she wakes up, Kiara. You think she's going to choose Caleb over a handsome devil like me?"

Caleb raised an eyebrow, "One that will grow old and die in front of her? One that will never be able to understand the _hunger_?"

"One that can give her babies."

Caleb winced playfully, "Ouch. Well, how about this. I can give her mind blowing orgasms."

"Caleb!" Sean growled. "Both of you. You're talking about my daughter, not a piece of meat. I just want to know if you love my daughter, Greg, or if this is just a grand medical experiment to you?"

House snickered. "You know, medicine was my life-- meant everything to me. Meant everything until that little blood sucker-- and I mean the female one with the cute Little Dora shoes and habit of getting my piano keys sticky-- burst unwelcomed into my life with all the needs of a one year old. Now all I think about is what vaccinations she needs; if she should get more sunshine or if she'd do better on AB blood and where the hell I'm going to get it if you guys don't find her donors. I read about pollution and war and wonder how they'll affect her life. Medical experiment? My daughter…my son…aren't medical experiments. They're the light at the end of the tunnel. They saved me. Your daughter isn't an experiment, she's my savior, I don't just love her, I desperately need her."

Both Caleb and Sean were speechless and humbled by his admission.

Swallowing hard, Caleb stood and went over to the bar. "Anyone want a drink?"

Sean nodded, "God, yes."

"Greg?" Caleb asked.

"Nah, I'm going to go up and check on Riane. Do you want me to put Jack down?"

Sean shook his head, "He's wide awake."

The ice in the drink rattled as Caleb carried it across the room, "He'll go down for nap around midnight."

"Well, I've had a rough day at work and rather exciting one here. I take it that you'll make sure he's okay?"

Caleb chuckled, "I always do, Greg, I always do."

House went up the stairs and straight to the nursery where he peeked inside and saw that Riane had managed to kick off her covers. He went over and straightened them and leaned in to kiss her. "Goodnight, Pumpkin."

As he walked out into the hall, he heard the laughter of Caleb and Sean and another voice. They had company which meant that they wouldn't be coming up to Kiara's sick room. He went down the hall to the sick room, opened the door and walked over to her bed.

"Myra please leave us."

Myra got up and left.

House went over to the bed and sat down. Kiara was asleep. Myra had obviously cleaned her up, combed her hair, brushed her teeth and changed her gown. He pulled a stray eyelash off her cheek and then stroked the short silky hair.

"You know, if you're Sleeping Beauty then if I kiss you and you wake up, I'm your Prince in shining armor. That would trump Caleb and I win the kewpie prize…that's you."

He bent down and kissed her motionless lips, lingering, smelling her unique musk. The kiss over, House started to pull back when he felt the lightest of movement in her lips. Staring down at her mouth, he pushed his lips back over hers. She pushed back.

"Please don't let this be a reflexive action." He said into her lips.

A raspy voice said, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

His heart jumped into his throat. "Wow! I win!"

She looked into his eyes. "I'm tired."

"You sound like a one hundred year smoker after screaming at a Beatle's concert."

"Did I hold my baby?"

"Yep, little Jack. Actually, Caleb named the poor bastard after himself, but his middle name is Sean aka John aka Jack."

"Riane?"

"She misses you. Reads stories to you every night. Kisses you, talks to you."

"How long?"

"Four months. You haven't had sex for several months, I could accommodate you."

"I'm tired. Good night." She closed her eyes.

House quickly slipped off his clothes down to his shorts and climbed in bed.

"I'm not having sex." She said; her eyes still closed.

"I'm not having sex either. I'm just doing my job. I've been holding you for the last week or so to make sure you don't curl up into a fetal position."

"I'm not going to—"

He leaned into her ear, "Shhhhhh. I'm your doctor and I'm what I ordered."

"Then shut up and go to sleep."

He kissed her behind her ear. "This is so cool, I scored big."

"You haven't scored anything. I don't know why you're here in my bed and not with your fiancé-- or is it wife now?--but, for right now, I could care less. Tomorrow you'll answer questions, tonight I'm too tired. Good night, Greg."

They fell asleep, his arms gently around her boney body.

When Caleb checked on Kiara before he went to bed, he saw House cuddling her, his nose in her hair, arms wrapped around her. They looked so perfect together. A piece of his heart broke as he descended the stairs to his lair.


	39. Chapter 29 Part I

**Chapter 29**

**Reunion**

Four months? I was in a coma for four months of my son and daughter's life. It was hard to digest. Even harder to digest was that Greg House was sharing my bed, why? I slipped out of bed and straight down onto the floor. Looking at my hands and body in the dim bedroom light, I realized that I was emaciated and had very little muscle tone. There was no way I was going to be able to stand up. A pair of beautiful blue eyes peered over the edge of the bed.

"Enjoy your trip?"

"Help me up."

"What were you thinking? You haven't been out of bed for four months. You 're about as strong as a wet noodle." He said without making a move to help me.

"Greg, can you help me up? I want to see my children."

He stood up and came over, picking me up in his arms and carrying me down the hall to the nursery. I had my arms around his long neck, looking up at the unshaven face and wide lips. When we got to the door he smiled down at me.

"Your Dad is going to be so upset that he wasn't here."

"I can't wait until tonight. I need to see them. I've never met my baby yet. What's he like?"

He yanked me up a little as I began to slip. "He's a blue eyed, dark blonde haired kid with obvious intelligence. But I don't know much more, Caleb whisked him away to England when you went into a coma. I didn't know about him until a few weeks ago. Well, I knew about him—Caleb brought him here when he came to see you—but I didn't know that he was my son."

I opened the door and he carried me through, putting me in the rocker that I used to feed Riane in when she was an infant. I looked over and saw my sweet little daughter asleep, her hair wild around her head, her hands in little fists and the covers pulled up. She looked peaceful despite the defiant fists.

"Is Jack awake?"

Greg was already picking him up. "He's a night baby, so he's just about ready to sleep through the day."

"Oh dear, he's more vampire than mortal?"

"He's only a quarter, but the vampire gene is stronger in him than Riane."

He put Jack in my arms and my heart felt so full of love, I thought I'd break down crying. "Oh, Greg, isn't he beautiful?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah, I think so. We make pretty babies."

"We do."

"Why weren't you going to tell me about Jack?"

My voice sounded like a hacksaw across a log, "You made me feel like a horrible mother because I couldn't give Riane a mortal lifestyle. I didn't want you to take my son away from me."

"I didn't take Riane from you. We just share her."

"I felt as if you were going to eventually try and take them away from me. What does Laura think about you having a son with me?"

"She doesn't think. I spent too much time here trying to cure you. She called off the wedding a week before the date. For some reason she thinks that I still love you."

I wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying; I was too engrossed in looking at Jack who was now asleep in my arms. He felt perfect, just the right weight in my arms. I could see Greg in him even more than with Riane. They had the same eyes and lips, but again, Jack had my father's sharp nose, which would eventually give him the same sophisticated look of my father.

"Did you hear me?" He asked.

"No, sorry, brain fart. I was thinking about the baby." I looked down and marveled at his little eyelashes, tiny fingernails and his fleshy cheeks.

"I'm in love with you."

"I feel sorry for you." I said.

His face dropped in shock. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you had your chance, but you chose Laura. You should try to make that work." I looked up and snorted at his surprise. "Greg, you made it perfectly clear that you can't deal with me being a vampire. I understand that. I can't deal with you being an ass—we're even. You need to go back to Laura and be happy."

"Wow! That's mean considering I just spent—"

"Mommy!" Riana sat up in her bed with eyes wide opened and face glowing.

"Greg, you better take Jack, I think I'm going to get attacked."

Greg took Jack just in time. Riane jumped into my lap grabbing me around my neck and kissing me all over. "Mommy! You're awake. Can you play with me?"

"Pumpkin, Mommy missed you, but she's not really completely well. I need a lot of naps, but I'm getting better. I'll play with you later, but right now I'm a little tired. Can Mommy just hold you for awhile and look at how beautiful you are?"

"Mommy, did you meet Jack? Jack belongs to Caleb, but he stays in here with me when he comes to visit."

"Honey, Jack is your baby brother. Remember how we talked about brothers and what it would like to have one? Well, now you have one!"

"But, he belongs to Caleb and I belong to Daddy." She sounded completely confused.

"Honey, Jack had two Daddys—"

"_No, he doesn't_. Don't lie to her." Greg growled. "I'm Jack's Daddy. Caleb was just taking care of him while Mommy was sick. But, Daddy's going to be taking care of Jack from now on."

"Now who's lying?" I snapped. "Mommy will be taking care of Jack from here on out."

"But—"

"Greg, we'll talk about this later." I kissed Riane and motioned for her to get down. I still couldn't stand so I swallowed my pride and had to humiliate myself. "I need to go to the bathroom, can you take me?"

"You have a diaper on…just—"

"Greg! _Please? _Please don't make me beg."

He snapped his mouth shut and quietly nodded. After putting Jack down, he came back and actually carried me into Riane's bathroom, helping me take off the adult diaper they had on me.

"This is humiliating." I said, kicking the diaper across the floor as Greg and Riane stood and watched me pee.

Greg shrugged, "We had to put you in those things. I'll go get you some panties."

"Wait, can you take me in and help me get a real shower and change clothes?"

"Are you up for that?"

I thought about it and how exhausted I felt. "No, but maybe when I wake up?"

"Fine. We'll shower then."

"Can you give me something to trigger milk production?" I asked.

"No. At least not yet. You're too emaciated to put calories into making milk. When you gain a little weight we can talk about it."

"I need to get back in bed."

Greg handed me the antiseptic soap and a wet washcloth and then we made our way back to the sickroom. The smell was heavy and oppressive. I turned and looked at Greg. "I want to go to my room. This room is too depressing."

He sighed to exaggerate the effort he had made carrying me to the sick room. Throwing me over his shoulder, he made a beeline for my room and then gently unfolded me from over his shoulder onto the bed.

"Thank you. We'll talk after my nap, okay?"

"You should eat before you sleep. We took your nasal line out when you started to move around. You haven't eaten for twenty-four hours."

I debated between eating and sleeping, but in light of the breast feeding issue, I chose to eat. "I'll eat something."

"I'm going to bring you toast, a banana and juice. We need to keep it bland for a few days."

I fell asleep while he and Riane were downstairs. I heard Riane singing, "Twinkle, twinkle little star…"

I opened my eyes and saw Greg with a tray and Riane with a plate of toast, proudly balancing it as she handed it to me. "Oh, Pumpkin, how nice of you and Daddy to bring Mommy breakfast in bed. That's very sweet. I love you Pumpkin."

"Daddy too!"

I looked up at Greg and snickered. "Daddy knows how Mommy feels about him."

Greg rolled his eyes as he sat the tray down.

I ate and soon fell asleep. I had dream after dream ending with a dream of Greg on his death bed, old and wrinkled, very little hair on his head and what was there was a wispy white. He was surrounded by lots of people including a very pretty young woman that I thought was Riane, a handsome young vampire, which had to be Jack, my father, Caleb, Wilson and Rachel. He told me that I had always been the woman for him and that I had taught him late in life what it meant to be happy. When he died I cried, but as it is only in dreams, within seconds I was standing by his grave with Caleb.

"Are you ready to go to England, darling? I've waited for thirty years."

"You've been patient, Caleb, thank you."

"He was one of a kind." Caleb said with affection.

"Yes, I loved him even when he gave me every reason not to."

"He loved you too. But, you have a long time left, I'm glad I get to spend it with you and your children."

And then we walked into a fog like a Hollywood movie. My eyes flew open, my heart was flipping and I was pretty sure that I had sweated through my gown onto the bed. _What the hell was that?_ _What is my mind telling me?_

My little mantel clock said it was 3:30 pm. I waited for Greg to come and help me, but he didn't show. I could hear Jack crying and then footsteps up the stairs. "Greg! Greg?"

The nanny, Carly, came in, a huge smile spread ear to ear. "Kiara! Oh my God, they all said you were talking now! I didn't believe it. When I came up here an hour ago you were still asleep. Do you want me to get the nurse to help you?"

"Nurse?"

"You've had nurses around the clock and then of course House—he said we could call him that—he's been here whenever he's not at work. The guy's been a Godsend. He saved you and he loves my soap." She came over to my side of the bed. "Do you need to get up?"

"Could you help me to the bathroom?" I asked her, pulling the covers back.

"You idiot, she can't help you. You may only weigh eighty-five pounds, but she only weighs one hundred. You're dead weight right now." Greg came through the door and picked me up out of the bed and carried me into the bathroom, putting me down on the edge of the bathtub. "I'm going to run you a bath because you can't stand for a shower." He turned on the faucet and then yelled out to the bedroom, "Hey, Carly, go check on Jack. Riane's still down with Mrs. Hunter."

"Mrs. Hunter?" I asked.

"The new cook. The old one freaked out when she found several coffins in the cellar and was pretty sure we were intent on murdering her for her husband's life insurance which she had just received the week before."

"Did Daddy mesmerize her?" We couldn't have someone running around talking about coffins in the cellar.

"Caleb did."

"What made you come back here?"

"Every time I asked to talk to you or see you, they said you were somewhere else or asleep. When I finally snuck past them and found you; well for once you had your mouth shut. I was in heaven. So, I just kept coming around and made a nuisance of myself." He felt the water. "Now's here's the fun part-- I get to undress you."

"Greeeg." I said in a low voice to warn him.

He just chuckled and then unbuttoned the two buttons on my nightgown. Grabbing the hem of my sleeve, he pulled it towards him and off my arm. And then he gently did the same with the second sleeve. His touch was so feather light that it almost tickled. I kept looking in his eyes as he slowly removed my gown over my head and put it in the hamper.

Rather than stare at my breasts, he looked into my eyes and tenderly lowered me into the bathtub before grabbing a washcloth. I grabbed the washcloth away from him.

"I can take it from here." I cautioned him.

"I know you're all grown up now—" He bent down with a cup and poured the water over my head. "But, just relax."

"I've been relaxing for four months." I was protesting, but his hands, with the dab of shampoo, felt great on my head. I closed my eyes and let his fingertips massage my scalp and then my shoulders. His hand inched down the front ever so slowly as he continued to massage. I wanted so much to have him touch me, touch my breasts, but I resisted and sat straight up causing his hands to pull back. "Thanks, but I've got it from here."

He kissed me on the neck and then the ear. "I'll just sit here until you need to get out."

"Just come back in five minutes."

"Sure you don't want me to get inside to keep you company?"

"No, thanks. When does the sun go down?"

"It's July, it goes down in about two hours."

"I want someone to help me get ready. I want my Dad to see me dressed with a little makeup."

"I'm great with mascara and I think you could use a touch of rouge right here to set off your eyes. I'll get out your padded bra to hide what you've slept away and those nice boy shorts for your tush."

I rinsed my hair and opened my eyes. "Help me up."

He put his arm around my chest just under my breasts and lifted up, his arm slipping up over my nipples.

"Uh-hum." I warned.

He hugged me into his body as he lifted me out, his face nuzzling my neck with a soft kiss.

"Greg. I'm serious. You need to find Laura, get on your knees and beg her forgiveness."

"I'd rather be between your knees."

"Carly! Can you help me?" I yelled.

There were footsteps coming my way and a woman turned into the bedroom, threw her hand over her chest and yelped at the site of Greg's arm around my breast.

"Oh, are you my nurse?"

She refused to look in my direction.

"Hey, we're not having sex, he just helped me with my bath, something you should have done. What's your name?"

"Mary." She said as she turned her head to stare. Greg grinned at her.

"Greg, put me down."

He dropped me on the floor and walked out.

"Where are you going?" I yelled.

"Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn."


	40. Chapter 29 Part II

**Sorry about the posting mistake, that's why I shouldn't try to post when I'm sick. But, I know a lot of you look forward to reading, please let me know if it now makes sense. Sorry, Kim**

**Chapter 29 Part II**

**Reunion**

Mary helped me dress in something summery, a Laura Ashley sun dress. I thought, for an emaciated waif with two purple eyes, I looked okay. I told her that I needed to get downstairs and so she went and retrieved two vampire security guards who came up and, with an arm under each shoulder, helped me down to the living room. My face lit up when I saw my little Pumpkin having tea with her father in a tiny tea set.

He looked up at me and snarled, "Oh, great, it's Mommy, the wicked witch of the west."

"Mommy's a wiiitch, Mommy's a wiiitch." Riane sang out.

"And that would make Daddy a jerk." I countered.

"Daddy's a jerk; Daddy's a jerk."

He looked up at me and shook his head. "Not very original, I've been called that before." Greg leaned forward towards Riane. "You know what? Daddy loves Mommy a lot and he wants Mommy, you and Jack to all live in Mommy's big brownstone."

"What's a brownstone?" She asked looking up into my eyes with total innocence. The look of a child that thinks we're all going on an adventure.

"It's what your father is going to be buried under if he doesn't shut up."

"Daddy buried?"

House smiled at her, "Like your Granddad, in a big black coffin."

"In a cellar?" she asked.

"Under the Brownstone."

"Daddy's a vampire?"

"Yeah. I'm a vampire and I'm going to suck your blood!" He grabbed her and tickled her.

"Greg, that's not funny. You're making fun of who we are."

"Yeah, bloodsuckers." He smiled down at Riane who was writhing on the floor. "But isn't she the most beautiful blood sucker you ever saw?"

Riane squealed with delight as her father continued to tickle her.

"Mo áilleacht, mo ghrá, mo shaol!" My father called out to me, his voice full of emotion. It loosely translates into 'my beauty, my love, my life.'

I turned and held my arms out. He ran to the chair and hugged me to him as I started crying in his arms. Caleb stood a few feet behind him in line to hug me, but Daddy wouldn't let go.

"You can never leave me again." Daddy said with conviction. "I want to try and turn you."

Caleb and Greg both looked at each other with horror.

"Daddy, don't be silly. You tried it before and it didn't work. Besides, my babies are part mortal and I need to stay this way for them. Now, you go kiss your Granddaughter and look, here comes Jack. You take care of them while I hug Caleb."

Daddy went over to take Jack from Myra who had relieved Carly at sunset. Jack gave my Daddy a huge smile that earned a smile in return. I had no doubt about my father's love for his grandson despite their rocky start.

Caleb bent down and picked me up into his arms and twirled me, then held me close to him, hugging me so hard I had to protest.

"My bones, Caleb, my bones! I'm a little fragile."

"Sorry, darling, it's just so good to see you awake and talking to us. We were so worried." He impulsively planted a kiss on my lips and I decided to send home a message to Greg so I kissed him back. I didn't bother to look at Greg, because I knew he'd be angry.

Slightly embarrassed by his display of affection, Caleb pulled back and then hugged me again before depositing me over on the sofa.

My father gave instructions to the staff. "Myra, bring Kiara a blanket and pillow and tell the staff to clean out the sick room. It needs to be aired."

"May I please hold Jack?" I asked.

Daddy brought him over and gently deposited him in my arms. As if on cue, a jealous Riane crawled up on the sofa demanding my attention. "Look, Mommy, look, Caleb gave me a doll!"

I looked at the doll and my eyes flew open. "My goodness Pumpkin! She looks just like you!"

"I had a doll maker make it from photos." Caleb explained.

"It's incredible, kinda creepy, but incredible." I said.

We spent the next half hour talking and then the cook brought me a tray of soup, bread, juice and another banana. After eating I fell asleep as everyone talked and played around me. Around midnight I woke up again to find that Riane had been put to bed, Jack was playing with Caleb and Greg was in the chair sleeping. Daddy had apparently gone into the library to watch television.

"Caleb? What are you going to do about Jack?"

"What can I do? He's yours first and foremost. I love him as if he were my own, but I always knew that if I was lucky he was only on loan, that you would wake up and take him back. Don't worry about me; I have the best of both worlds. Greg has agreed to let me have time with him." Caleb came over, picked up my feet, sat down and then laid my feet in his lap. "You need to know that he has stronger vampire features than Riane. He's much more like you than Riane is. She seems comfortable in the sun and her retractile buds are small, I'm not even sure they'll develop properly, which could cause problems with her feeding. But, Jack's retractiles buds are average size, he sleeps during the day, he hears extremely well, tracks perfectly and needs blood at least once a week. And according to his day nanny, he's not that happy in the sun."

I thought about it for a moment. How strange to have two babies that were so different. "I wonder how Greg will deal with him?"

"I told Greg that a male vampire was going to have to have a strong influence in his life. I know your father will, but Greg seems comfortable with me taking part too. Someone has to teach him vampire etiquette from a male perspective."

Daddy came running out to the salon. "Hurry, turn on the local news!"

Caleb hit the remote revealing a flat screen television underneath the art over the fireplace. The screen lit up with a scene of police tape surrounding a building on the Princeton University campus.

"…_back to you Sharon."_

"_Bill, you said all the blood had been drained from the student?"_

"_Yes, that's right Sharon. The police aren't revealing much at this time except to say there was no blood at the scene or in the body. The coed has not been identified, but she reportedly had been to a party and was walking home at around ten this evening."_

"_Well. Keep us up to date." She turned back to the camera prompter. "Mo the weatherman will be here with the five day forecast right after this message." _They cut to a commercial.

My father was livid. "Who the hell is out there killing? I've given strict orders that no mortals shall be killed without my permission unless it's absolutely necessary."

Caleb blew air out of his cheeks in contemplation of the dilemma. "I don't know, Sean, but occasionally one of my subjects goes too far and we have to take action."

Daddy walked to the intercom and hit the button, "Mario? Can you come here?"

A few minutes, Mario lumbered into the room wearing a Tiger Woods polo shirt in a small herringbone and black slacks. "Yes, Sean."

"Mario, the police just found a body on campus of a coed who had been drained of all blood. You know what to do. When your guys find him or her, bring them to me."

Mario nodded and left the room.

"Christ, this is all we need with the IOV convention being held here next week."

"Is it next week?" I asked, surprised that it had come so soon. I had been helping Daddy plan for it when I was pregnant.

"Acushla, it's time for your medicine." Caleb said. He left the room and returned with a knife, cutting his wrist and putting it to my mouth.

I drank the rich blood. It's strange how everyone's blood has a distinctive taste. Vampire blood has a different, slightly thicker texture than mortal blood. It also tastes sweeter whereas mortal blood is savory. I drank until I could drink no more.

"Have you and Daddy been trading off?"

He nodded. "When I'm here, I help out. Now, how would you like to feed Jack?"

I smiled and motioned with my arms outstretched to bring him to me. Caleb brought a bottle and Jack. As I held him, he stared up with a curiosity that could only come from being a House. I had to laugh, he seemed so intense in trying to figure out who the hell I was. I probably sounded familiar from all the months in the womb, but I didn't look familiar from this side of the womb.

The nanny changed and put Jack to bed. Being tired and worn out from such a busy day, I asked to be put to bed. Caleb picked me up without any effort and climbed the stairs. When he tucked me in, I patted the bed to indicate I wanted him to lie down and talk to me for a few minutes. He sat down on the opposite side of the bed and then put his legs up, shoes still on.

"Caleb, I want you to know that I told Greg to go back to Laura today."

His jaw dropped and he turned, brow furrowed. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm afraid if I give him my love again, I'll just get my heart stomped on."

"You gave me another chance."

"You'd earned it."

He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it. I wondered what he was going to say but I wasn't going to push him.

"I want you, Riane and Jack to come live with me in England more than anything, but I want you to do it because that's where you want to be—with me. I don't want to be your fallback position, darling. As much as I love you, I deserve more."

I have to admit, the words stung. He was right and I had to give it some thought. Was I just using Caleb as a safe harbor?

"Think about it, Acushla. Give it some thought. In the meantime, the Ball isn't this Saturday, but the following Saturday. If you feel up to it, I'd like for you to be my date."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "If I'm stronger, I'd love to go with you. Now, can you stay here until I fall asleep?"

"I'd love to."

"You look tired."

"Jet lag. I had just returned from Iraq before coming here. My inner clock is still out of sorts."

"Caleb, I love you very much. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes and I know that someday we'll be together."

A chill ran down my spine as I thought about my dream. A few minutes later I felt myself drifting off into a comfortable sleep.


	41. Chapter 29 Part III

**Chapter 29 Part III**

**Reunion**

I could hear a scream, but I wasn't quite awake. Struggling with my grogginess, I finally realized that the scream was coming from somewhere nearby—right next to me! I sat up and saw my daughter pulling the drapes open, the sun pouring in and Caleb next to me screaming in pain as the exposed part of his body burned. Stumbling clumsily towards the drapes, I fell trying to get to them. Crawling as fast as I could, I reached up and shut them. I screamed and pointed out the door, "Riane, go find Daddy—now!"

I crawled back to the bed, pulled myself up and grabbed a pair of scissors out of the night stand and cut my wrist. He was writhing in pain, moaning and shaking his head.

"No, you need your blood," he moaned.

"No, _you_ need my blood more." I put my wrist to his mouth and at first he refused to drink, but the pain was too much. He drank until I fainted and then we both fell into a deep black hole.

A soft voice kept calling my name, "Kiara? Kiara? Kiara?"

I opened my eyes and saw Greg kneeling and cradling my head, Riane standing next to him crying with fright from my abruptness.

"Caleb?" I asked.

"He's asleep. I didn't know what to do with him; your room is probably too light even with the drapes pulled. I put him in your walk-in closet and closed the door."

I nodded. "Good. Good idea, but we need to get some soil from his coffin and put it in his palm."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"Great. I'll go find some soil. Let's get you into bed first." He gently lifted me and put me on the bed. "Why isn't he in his coffin?"

"He has jet lag and fell asleep up here while we were talking. Riane opened the drapes to wake me like she normally does when she needs something."

"Crap, no wonder she's so frightened."

He went down the stairs as I comforted Riane. Bringing back some soil, he tried to darken the room some more before opening the closet door and putting soil on Caleb's right palm. Coming back to me he heaved a huge sigh.

"Man, now that's what I call a sunburn. I suppose you gave him your blood."

"I couldn't let Daddy come up with the house lit up with sunlight, so I gave him some of mine."

"Will he be okay?"

"I don't know for sure. My blood isn't as potent as a regular vampire. But, I had a lot of his blood in me and so maybe it will be okay. I don't think he'll die, but he may be scarred. It all depends on how fast we caught it."

"I'll bring you up some breakfast." Greg turned and picked up Riane, taking the sniffly ankle biter with him.

"Give her to me. I'll soothe her."

Greg tossed her lightly onto the bed where she bounced and then giggled. "She's all yours."

"Come here Pumpkin, let Mommy look at your long hair." I said long hair, but the toddler curls were just long enough to touch the lower part of her neck. I ran my hand through the dark brunette hair and blew kisses at her. After some cuddles and a quick tickle, she was happily off to seek new adventures. I wished that I mended as quickly. I wanted to check on Caleb, but didn't dare open the door again. All day, I worried.

My nurse came with a walker and I started to walk the hall of the upper floor with it. I looked like a newborn colt. But, I could tell that with a dose of my father's blood, I could probably master the art of walking very soon.

Greg had gone to work, so it was me, the day nanny, the cook, the nurse, the two security guards and the kids up and about. But, like Caleb said, Jack only woke for a short time and then, mewing when I took him near the veranda, I put him back to bed and let him sleep.

Greg came back to the house that evening dressed in a lightweight pair of twill pants, a t-shirt that said, 'my girlfriend sucks' and in smaller letters, 'thank God' and a long sleeve denim shirt over it. I was surprised to see that although he looked like he was going to a barbeque rather than work, his clothes were ironed. It meant one thing, he had permanently taken up residence here and the housekeepers were cleaning and ironing his clothes along with everyone else.

"You're living here?" I asked, sitting on the sofa in the library reading the papers from the last two weeks that I had them pull from the recycling.

"I told you that I broke up with Laura. I had to move out of the house we were going to buy and put my stuff in storage. I've been too busy taking care of your needs and the kids to find something. Your Dad hasn't said anything. I think he's grateful that I figured out how to save your ass, although I have to admit it was pretty simple."

"You put your lovely piano in storage?"

"No, your Dad gave me the keys to your brownstone so that I could store it in there. That house rocks, why do you live in the basement?"

"It always seemed too big and it's darker in the basement apartment."

"If you're going to kick me out and move back with Caleb, can I rent it?"

I was shocked. "Who said I was moving in with Caleb?"

"I'm beautiful, but not dumb. You tell me to make up with Laura and then Caleb ends up sleeping with you. I know I'm low man on the totem pole. But, your house is big enough that I could give each of the kids a room and still have a Big-Boy's room."

"If I move back to England, you and I have to come up with a new custody plan. They'll be going to school or tutored in England."

"If we hire a tutor here in Princeton, then the tutor could stay in the downstairs apartment. I could have them for a month, then you get them for a month. Your Dad is nearby, he could check on them if you don't come by."

It seemed logical and it seemed fair. "What about holidays?"

He looked down, a finger on his lips and then faced me. "Thanksgiving you invite me over to your Dad's and we spend it together. You get them Christmas Eve, I get them Christmas Day. Birthdays—you get the even ones, I get the odd ones."

I shrugged. "Well, _if _I move back with Caleb, that sounds reasonable. I'll get the lawyer to draft it."

"Now, what about renting me your house?"

"I guess. How much were you paying at your condo?"

"$1850."

"That's what I'll charge."

"You know, I always wanted to ask you. How do you live?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"How do you make money now?"

"I'm not proud of it, but Daddy set up a trust fund for me so that I wouldn't have to work while the kids were small, but I miss my work."

"I thought as much."

I watched the sun set from my bed and waited until it was completely dark before venturing over to the closet door. My stomach was doing flip flops and I felt like you do when you have to steel yourself to see something horrible. Opening the door slowly, I could see from the bed room light, that he was still asleep, his palm slightly open with the soil in the middle of it.

I knelt down and took a good look at him. There were no signs of burns on his hands, but the right side of his face still had blistering and a rawness that had to hurt. I heard footsteps behind me and could tell just from the walk that it was Daddy.

"How is he?"

"Did Greg tell you?"

"Yes, how is he?"

"Daddy, his face is still bad. Can you help?"

"Acushla, you need my blood. I'll find someone else to give him some."

"No, it's not right for a King to be seen like this. You have to do it. We can find another vampire for me. Mario will give me blood."

"You'd drink Mario's blood?"

"Oh, Daddy, your prejudices are showing. Now please feed him."

Daddy knelt down next to Caleb and took out the knife he had brought up with him. Caleb woke and groaned from the pain. As soon as Daddy put his wrist to his mouth, Caleb took a little but then pushed his wrist towards me. I looked at the two of them and realized it was no use, I drank a little too.

"Where am I?" Caleb asked looking eye to eye with my shoes.

I stroked his face. "My closet. Greg was smart enough to find you the darkest place in the upper house."

He looked at the soil in his hand and nodded in approval. "I need to thank him. Is Riane okay? I remember she started crying when you pushed her out the door."

"She's fine. Darling, I'm afraid you still have blisters and burning on your face."

He swallowed. "Well, if there's a permanent scar, so be it. I've been lucky to live this long without scarring from being exposed. I thought for sure I was going to have a scar on my arm that time I was exposed when I was living in Rome." He reached up and touched his face. "I can feel that it's healing."

"Good," Daddy said. "Now, let's get you out of here."

I smiled down at Caleb, "Yes darling, I think it's time you came out of the closet."

I got a slight chuckle from everyone.

Caleb's face healed except for one small circular scar on his right lower cheek. But, it really doesn't distract from how handsome he is. In fact, it kind of gives him character. He always looked so perfect and now he's got this tiny little flaw that seems so masculine on him.

The next night, the vampires started to arrive for the International Order of Vampire's convention. Don't laugh. Back in the eighties they went two years in a row without holding it and all hell broke loose. The sects with weak kings started falling apart at the seams. Alpha males and some alpha females were running over the kings, making up their own rules which tended to benefit themselves. The convention gave the Order structure. A vampire knew that if they tried to take on a king then the council would take action against them at the convention. Laws and vampire etiquette were adopted at these conventions and then punishment was doled out if they weren't followed. Caleb was frequently called to various countries to conduct hearings and to dole punishment since he was the senior member on the Council.

The Council consists of 150 members who represent the 194 countries in the world. Some, like my father represent more than one country or area. Of course their spouses or significant others would accompany them which meant that we would have attending, including vendors in the exhibit area (yes, we had exhibitors who catered to our population—dentists, doctors, retreats, realtors, and various blood donor services just to mention a few) double that amount, four hundred or more.

The convention itself, under the guise of the International Order of Virologist so as not to frighten the staff at the convention hall, was going to be held at the Marriott. The ball was to be held at my father's home which, when the rugs were taken up out of the salon, functioned well as a dance area. The veranda would be decorated and the grounds would also have tables and another dance floor overlooking the very large pond that was on my father's property.

I was a little disappointed in the decoration scheme once I saw it on paper. My father has very old fashioned ideas of a ball and without me, left most of the planning to Denton. However, I did make several phone calls and managed to get a rock band for the outside venue. I warned them that their music could not interfere with the ballroom music inside.

Approximately two hundred and sixty vampires and mortals had RSVP'd to the ball. Surprisingly, we had twenty-four mixed couples, vampire-mortal, that were on the list which was double what we had the last time we hosted the convention. Five of the couples were actually married-- a first at a convention which was sure to stir up questions that would lead to new Vampire Etiquette rules. It was also sure to stir up deep seated feeling by some factions regarding the interaction of vampires and mortals. There is still a strong contingent that believe vampires are superior and should dominate mortals.

I wasn't expected to go to the convention since I wasn't on the Council and I wasn't a delegate, not to mention I had just come out of a coma. My father was pleased that I had graduated off the walker a few days before the ball. I had three days to get enough stamina to dance a few dances with some of the more important guests, including Caleb, my father, Julius Marco and Tobias Beardsley. All were considered the top four males in the vampire world. Luckily, I didn't have to dance with the top females; I'd leave that to Daddy.

Greg had moved out of the house and was setting up house in my Brownstone. We had decided it was better for everyone if I had time by myself to think about whether I wanted to go back to England with Caleb. Caleb went to stay a few days with some friends in Philadelphia. It was great to have the pressure off my back.

I spent a lot of time getting to know Jack and that bond, along with my father's blood, made me healthy again. I was watching television while Riane played on the floor. The nanny came in and took her for a bath as I nodded off.

"Kiara—wake up."

I woke up to see Greg, amused, looking at my chest. "What? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Jack since he tends to play better at night. Looks like you need to see him too."

"Me? I've been with him twenty-four seven."

"Well the front of your shirt says that you need to either change your clothes or feed your son, your leaking."

I looked down and was shocked to see that my breasts were leaking in huge circles on my top. "Oh! I'm producing milk! How did that happen?"

"It's like your body was on pause. Do you want me to get him?"

"Please."

Greg brought back a rather grumpy baby who had never had a breast shoved in his mouth before. At first he cried like mad, but then he latched on and went to town.

"What are you going to do when it's just you taking care of him?" Greg asked.

"I'll be fine. I'll tough it out."

Caleb walked in and immediately raised his eyebrows when he saw me with my top up and nursing. I don't know if it was the breast or the fact that I was nursing, but he was very amused.

"Have I come at the wrong time?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah, we were having an Adams Family Moment and you broke the ambiance."

"I haven't seen the children in a few days—"

Greg huffed. "Yeah, well that's because they're not _your _children. It's not like you have to see them."

"Greg, shut up. Caleb is a very important part of their life and it's going to remain that way."

He pouted. "Did you ever think that maybe if we had some time alone, you might give me another chance? But, we're never alone—ever."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Acushla—"

"And stop calling her that. I don't know what it means, but you and Sean say it and she goes all little girly."

"Greg, it's just an endearment, like Pumpkin. It means 'beats of my heart.'"

"Well, they have an unfair advantage." His voice sounded like a little boy who was complaining to the coach.

"And what's that?"

"They're vampires, they've known you their whole lives and they call you Acushla."

I broke down laughing.

Caleb wasn't laughing. "Kiara, Greg has made a good point. This decision about coming back with me shouldn't be made in a vacuum. You should—"

"Shut up! Just everyone stop telling me how to make up my mind! Both of you are driving me bonkers—"

"Short drive." Greg mumbled.

"That's it. Both of you get out, just leave. Caleb, I'll see you Saturday at the ball and Greg, you can call the next time you want to come over. We might go out on a date if you can behave. Right now, I just want to be alone."

They both looked at me as if I had thrown a nuclear bomb in the room. I pointed to the door and they reluctantly left me alone.


	42. Chapter 30 Part I

**Chapter 30 Part I**

**Ballroom Blitz**

House stepped into the foyer and stared at Caleb. "You know she should be with me…you _know _that."

"I don't _know_ that, but I do know that she needs to make a decision that's based on what she wants and not out of anger or pain. She's mad at you for the choice you made—"

"But I came back! I was here when she needed me."

"Greg, I know, I agree. But, she's been hurt before in the same way. I had an affair, then you did and then you left her for Laura. She feels as if she's not good enough for any man. We've done that to her by breaching her trust."

"But, _I came back._" He said sadly.

"Greg, I don't want her to come live with me because she feels safe or I'm comfortable. I want her to come because she loves me and truly wants to be with me. I won't be able to make her happy if she keeps wondering if she should have chosen you."

"I'm good with it if she chooses me for _any_ reason." House admitted.

"You say that, but you don't mean it because you know that if Kiara chooses you and really wants to be with me, you'll never be comfortable in the relationship…it will disintegrate because you'll push her away out of your own insecurity."

House looked around the foyer out of his discomfort with the truth of what Caleb was saying.

"Look, Greg, it's in both of our interests that she makes the decision that is right for her. I realize now that she doesn't know what went on when she was ill, what you did for her and the children. You do need time alone with her to tell her, explain what happened, so I tell you what we're going to do…"

House leaned in and they came up with a plan.

The IOV Ball-- I have to pat myself on the back that I pulled this one off at the last minute. I purchased additional decorations so that now the entire house dripped in silver, gold and crystals. It was luxurious and tasteful inside, while outside we made it slightly more hip and gaudy to go with the rock band that was going to play on the stage and dance floor set up next to water. Most of the furniture inside the manor had been cleared to the cellar and into the bedrooms to make way for dancing. Between the large salon, the huge library, the veranda, and the lawn, we had plenty of room for everyone to wander. It was a lovely summer night and luckily the landscaping crew had sprayed for bugs two days before and so they were at a minimum.

I was upstairs getting ready, having brought in local woman to do my hair and makeup. She helped me put on my grandmother's diamond and ruby tiara and then she latched the matching necklace. I put on the dangling earrings that were part of the set that had been handed down through several generations on my father's side to me. I had always thought that the tradition of handing them down would die with me, but now I had a daughter to give them to and that made me very happy.

I went braless since the dress itself had one sewn in. I stepped into the bathroom where I took off my robe and pulled on my black lace panties and high thighs. Mary was waiting in the bedroom with the ball gown itself. After emerging from the bathroom, I stepped into my ball gown and pulled it up. The makeup artist laced the shoulderless dress up in the back. The lacing was meant to criss-cross and reveal my bare back more than to pull the two sides together. The bodice of scarlet silk came down several inches onto my hips following the curves of my body and then the skirt billowed out in yards of scarlet crepe de chine that flowed mostly behind me. I pulled on my full length scarlet gloves and looked in the mirror.

The makeup artist gushed, "Oh my God, you look breathtaking!" The impromptu compliment was so genuine that I blushed with embarrassment.

"Thank you." I picked up the skirt of the gown and walked to the top of stairs to make my entrance. Caleb and Daddy were downstairs with a few early birds. I started down when the front door opened and Greg looked up at me. He was trim and handsome in a very tailored tuxedo.

Both of our mouths dropped.

"Jesus Fangs, you look stunning. Absolutely beautiful."

I blushed as I continued down. "Thank you, but what are you doing here?"

"I was invited."

"By whom?"

"Caleb and your father."

I walked up to him as he stood under the crystal chandelier of the foyer and kissed him on his cheeks. Hooking my arm in his, I whispered, "Well, make yourself useful and escort me into the salon."

He did and then there was a little giggle out of him. "I feel so Victorian; I should have worn my felt gloves."

x x x x x x x break x x x x x x x

Walking into the salon, House couldn't help but think he had the best looking woman on his arm. He had noticed a voluptuous vampire with Jolie lips, but he quickly realized when he compared her to Kiara that it wasn't just her looks that made Kiara so stunning, it was the way she could look sophisticated and yet approachable, almost vulnerable. Her smile was genuine, her interest in what was being said intense, her laugh lyrical. It was the first time that he had really taken a good look at Kiara as more than a doctor, mother, lover, vampire. She had so many facets that he hadn't appreciated until she was on his arm parting the small crowd that had arrived early.

Caleb turned, saw her and gave her such a look of love that House wanted to smack it right off of him. But, he couldn't really blame him; she was so captivating tonight that he would have been crawling over everyone's back to be on her arm.

"Kiara, you remind me of the night of the May Ball in Cambridge. I remember your dress was a similar color and everyone was looking at the incredibly beautiful woman in the red ball gown." He leaned in and kissed her on both cheeks.

"Thank you Caleb. I have very fond memories of that night."

"Yes, I believe I asked you to live with me that night."

She nodded and reached out to take his hand. They smiled at each other and then Sean came over.

"Acushla, you always make the grandest of entrances. Beautiful, child, beautiful. I couldn't be more proud of you. Greg, you look quite dashing."

"Yeah, well this is how I roll."

My father furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry Daddy, he's joking."

Caleb reached out his hand. "Kiara, come with me, let me introduce you to Marc Udahl, the new Council member."

Kiara started to leave, but House wouldn't let go of her arm. "I'll come with you."

"Greg, it wouldn't be appropriate. Marc is a vampire who lost his companion recently to a Guardian. You smell like a Guardian to a hungry vampire. Granted most of the Vampires here have fed before coming, but you never know." Caleb said.

"Greg, you were invited by Caleb and my father, not me. You're not my date tonight." She cautioned him.

Clenching his jaw he barked, "Fine." Letting go of her arm, he crossed the room, aiming for the woman with the Jolie lips. Saddling up next to her on the love seat, he gave her his most charming look.

"You smell good." She said smiling seductively at him.

"I know, I have AB blood." He watched as Caleb gracefully ushered Kiara from person to person, laughing and talking with an ease he could never muster.

"Are you a Guardian?"

"No, but if you want a little sip at the right moment it can be arranged."

She giggled and leaned over to get an appetizer, letting him have a good look at her cleavage.

"Damn, I could get lost in there." House remarked.

She laughed. "Well, that could be arranged. Do you know somewhere that we can go?"

"Sure, but first I have to parade you in front of someone."

She raised an eyebrow, but continued to smile. "Who?"

"Have you met Caleb and Kiara Larkin?"

She choked on a stuffed mushroom. Patting her upper chest she nodded and leaned in to whisper, "Yes. I've known Caleb for centuries. He and I had a rather wild night some years ago and Kiara walked in afterwards. It ended their relationship."

"What's your name?"

"Julia Scipio."

"Your name is old Roman; did you meet him in Rome?"

Popping another mushroom in her mouth she nodded.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." He extended his arm.

"I can't go over there."

"Why not?"

"If Kiara ever found out, I'd probably end up with a stake through my heart."

"She's not like that."

"You know her well?"

"Well enough."

"I heard she likes mortals…of course she would since she's a half-breed. I hear that she has two mixed kids. I can't imagine have two little mixies running around. It must drive Sean and Caleb crazy knowing that she mated with a mortal."

"Oh, rumor has it that he's fantastic in bed. She can't keep her legs closed around him."

"Really? But, mortals can't give you a love bite during sex. How can it be better than that?"

"Oh, it is. He's hot."

"Can you point him out?"

"Later. Let's just go over and say hello to our hostess."

She hesitated. "This really doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Live…I mean die dangerously."

They began their walk towards Caleb and Kiara. Caleb saw them first and turned a ghostly white. He immediately swallowed and looked at Kiara who was engaged in conversation.

House tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned the entire skirt of her dress rustled in a turn with her.

"Yes?" She quickly noticed Julia. "Oh, Julia, I didn't see you earlier. It's very nice of you to come. Caleb, don't you and Julia know each other?"

House grinned, "Yes, Caleb. I think you know Julia well, don't you?"

Caleb glared at House. "I've known Julia most of my life."

Kiara turned to him. "Really? I didn't know you went that far back! Well, I should get to know you Julia, we should have lunch to discuss Caleb's checkered past." She smiled so naively at Julia that House felt guilty, now not so convinced that this was a good idea.

"Julia, may I speak to you for a moment? I need to discuss that Council rule." Caleb pulled her to the side and House could see they were having a spirited conversation.

Noting that the conversation didn't seem amicable, Kiara asked House, "Do you think they're on opposite sides of this rule?"

"Oh, I don't think they're on opposite sides of anything. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they were very close, you know, in bed on several issues."

"Really, they don't look like they see eye to eye?" Kiara turned towards the doors and saw a little pink fluff part the adults and make her way to Kiara and House. "Pumpkin! You look perfect! See, I told you this was the best dress for tonight." Kiara turned to Greg as he picked up Riane. "We had a horrible fight over the dress. She wanted to wear her Snow White costume and I picked the dress out. Oh is she a stubborn wench when she wants to be."

House petted her and tweaked her cheek. "My little pet is stubborn?"

"Pretty, Daddy?"

"You are beeee-uuu-teee-full." House said with a grand gesture and little tickle at the end.

Caleb and Julia walked back over. Caleb then pulled Greg over by the elbow to talk to him. Smiling at Riane, Caleb touched her nose. "You are so pretty in your party frock. Did Mummy buy that for you?"

"I did." Riane chirped.

House gave her a stage frown, "You little liar."

Caleb whispered, "House, do you really want to play this game? Do you want to walk out of here with the woman I screwed up my life with? If you do, you'll hurt Kiara and rather than score points against me, she'll score them against you. You're the one parading her around, not me."

House looked at Julia and then slumped. Caleb was right, this was a horrible move and worse, it would hurt Kiara terribly. "Yeah, okay." The words came out solemnly.

"Julia thinks you're going to have hot sex with her. I don't know how you're going to get out of it. Once she has her mind fixed on something, she's persistent. And you have AB blood, a real attraction for a female vampire."

"Don't worry. She'll high tail it out of here in less than a minute." House walked over and smiled at Julia. "Julia, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Riane. She's pretty in her dress, isn't she?"

"You have children?" Julia asked.

"Yes, two."

Kiara took Riane from House. "Greg is the father of my two children. This little party girl now needs to say goodnight to her father, grandfather and Caleb and go to bed."

Julia's face scrunched up. "You're Kiara's mortal?"

Kiara shook her head. "Oh, he's not my mortal. We're no longer involved. Greg left me for another mortal."

The look of frustration on House's face as he turned back to Kiara was priceless. He yelled loudly, causing everyone to turn and stare.

"Hey, hey…everyone listen. You're going to want to hear this." House said to the room, which was now filled with mostly vampires. "I'm Kiara's mortal, Greg House. Her two kids are a result of a lot of copulation and some pretty strong swimmers on my part. Despite being successful at procreating, I screwed up."

Kiara's mouth was wide open and even Riane was mesmerized by his outburst. Kiara took a step away from House and looked around. Her eyes landed on her father, noting something unusual. He was laughing.

"I thought only a mortal could raise my children so I left Kiara and asked a mortal to marry me. It was a really dumb-ass move. I love Kiara more than I should. I love my kids. I keep asking for a second chance and Kiara rightfully said no. It seems that I screwed her over like her former boyfriend did and we all know who he is." House stopped, kneeled down and looked up at Kiara and his daughter.

"Oh, God. Get up, get up. This isn't happening, Greg. Don't do it." Kiara's head was shaking back and forth.

"Kiara Larkin, you make me want to stay up all night even when I want nothing more than to sleep. You make me want to be bitten—"

"Greg!" Kiara motioned to Riane and turned red.

"You're a brilliant doctor, a witty companion, a terrific mother, a siren in bed and a beautiful woman. I want to spend every night with you and hopefully a few days. Please, please, do me the honor of marrying me?"

"Mommy, Daddy's funny!"

"Yes, he's being silly." Kiara was staring House down as he continued to kneel in front of her. Kiara looked at the guests, "Well, this is all just a joke everyone. We've been rehearsing this for your—"

"No. This isn't a joke and you need to hear the truth about Greg." Caleb said, stepping forward. "When we were all baffled by your coma, this man spent every free moment trying to find a cure for you, taking care of his children and staying with you when he could. He spent so much time with you that his fiancé threatened to break off the engagement and eventually did. It cost him $39,000…the price of the wedding. But he paid it and he continued to take care of you and the children and hold down his job at the hospital. Greg was that committed to making sure you got well."

Caleb looked down as if he was hunting for words and then he looked up, his eyes watery. "Kiara, darling, right now I can't make you happy. As long as Greg is alive, you'll always wonder if you should have been with him. I think you owe it to him to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Kiara was stunned. "Caleb? Are you withdrawing your offer?"

The sad look on his face wasn't lost on the crowd, this was painful for him. "Darling, we have our decades ahead of us. Right now your heart belongs to this jerk."

Kiara was dumbfounded. All she could think about was her dream coming true.

"Can I get up now? This is killing my bad leg." House said, rubbing his thigh.

Kiara looked down and nodded. "I need to think." Handing Riane to Caleb, Kiara disappeared out the veranda and across the lawn. The crowd was silent as they continued to look to Caleb for some sign that the scene was over.

Sean stepped forward. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my daughter is not the only entertainment tonight. We have an orchestra in here ready to begin and a rock band outside. Please feel free to indulge in both and have a great time."

Everyone clapped as if they just had witnessed a play.

House nodded his thanks to Caleb and Sean and then turned to take Riane from Caleb so that he could put her to bed. Sean disappeared at his vampire speed out the French Doors.


	43. Chapter 30 Part II

**Chapter 30 Part II**

**Ballroom Blitz**

Kiara was sitting on the concrete bench staring at the pond when there was a woosh and a body appeared on the bench, startling her. "What do you want, Daddy?"

He father's long, thin fingers took Kiara's small hands in his and wrapped around them. He held them gently as he trained his gorgeous blue eyes on hers. "You have two children that have a good father who also happens to be an ass every once in awhile. I've watched this man over the last two years come to terms with the fact that he's in love with a vampire and we know that many mortals can't make that leap. It's not an easy thing for a mortal to accept. But, after some--as he put it, dumbass moves-- he's proven to me that he can put you above his own comfort and that he loves his children dearly. That's hard for me to admit because there are days I don't like him. But, lately, he's been more than tolerable and I think we've developed a good relationship." He paused and picked up her hand, kissing the back of it. "Now you have to stop being afraid. Acushla, people are not perfect, especially mortals. He may disappoint you in the long run. But, right now if you don't try and put this family together you're going to always second guess whether or not you would have been happier with Greg." Standing up, Sean kissed her cheeks and then walked across the lawn towards the house.

House watched from the veranda as Kiara, head down, walked silently around the grounds, head down in contemplation until she was finally stopped in her tracks by Caleb. Caleb said something and after a few minutes, they made their way back.

"Are you going to ignore your guests? Why don't you join me for a dance, darling?" Caleb said with a voice full of empathy. He grabbed my hands and held them while he looked lovingly into my eyes.

"Caleb, are you sure?"

"Sure of what?"

"Sure that I should really consider going back to Greg?"

His arms slipped around my waists as he pulled me close to his chest. I reciprocated with arms around his waist.

"Acushla, only you can make that decision, but you need to know that he has been loyal to you at great cost to himself."

A tear ran down my face as I wrestled with my feelings for both men. "But…what about you?"

Another smile and a kiss on my forehead. "I can wait. Greg has—what? Thirty years? Maybe more? It's a drop in the bucket my love."

"But, I'll look older, like a forty-five year old."

He pulled back and furrowed his brow. "You could look like Grandma Moses and I'd still adore you and want to be with you. Kiara, do you really believe I'm that shallow?"

There wasn't a shallow bone in Caleb's body. He was too wise having seen and experienced so much in his time as a vampire. "No, sweetheart, I don't think that at all. You do know how much I love you?"

"I know. I also know that you're drawn to Greg, that you love him too—probably more than me. He is the father of your children."

"I don't know—I love both of you in such different ways. You're the old shoes in the closet that never go out of style and are comfortable. He's the new Jimmy Choos that dazzle and amaze and make you smile, but give you blisters. It's hard to choose between the two."

"Well, you're a vampire, you don't have to choose. Time will make your choices easy. Let's go dance." He broke free and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the house.

I nodded. "Let's go, I can see him standing on the veranda watching us."

"He's worried." Caleb warned.

"He should be."

"Don't make him wait too long, he'll start being Greg."

I had to laugh. Caleb knew Greg better than I did.

House watched how easy they seemed together as they crossed the perfectly coiffed lawn. God, she was so beautiful floating towards the house in her ball gown, her slight shoulders making her look both sexy and diminutive. She was going to choose Caleb, he just knew it. Together, he watched as Caleb and Kiara went through the other set of French doors directly to the dance floor and without any of the awkwardness that usually comes with the initial taking of a partner in your arms, she slipped easily into his. The waltz started and they glided across the room looking soulfully into each other's eyes, occasionally talking, sometimes laughing. She was at ease with him; they appeared to be molded seamlessly together.

_She's going to choose him._

When the dance stopped, Kiara looked over and saw House standing by the French doors and watching. "Greg's waiting and he looks miserable."

"You should put him out of his misery." Caleb chided.

"I know. I love you Caleb."

"I love you too, Acushla."

Caleb reached down and kissed my cheek gently and then turned to greet a guest. I walked towards Greg, who promptly took a large gulp of his whiskey and then looked into my eyes.

"I hope you two will be miserable." Greg said, his face turned down staring at the ice in his drink. "We'll have to make arrangements for custody of the kids.

"Why?"

"I want to be a part of their lives—you aren't going to deny me that!" He said, some anger building up.

"No, I'm not going to deny you that. But, why would you need custody when they're going to be in the next room?"

He stopped and looked at me with those sharp eyes of his, his head tilting slightly. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say, 'Where's my ring?'"

A wide grin spread across his chin. "So…you've come to your senses and picked the better man?"

"I wouldn't say that. But, I think I picked the right one. We need to go tell Daddy, he's going to have to bring this to the Council."

"What?"

"Vampires aren't allowed to marry mortals without the consent of the Council."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. But, we have Caleb and my father on our side, they're very well respected. I don't think there will be any problem, but you'll have to be interviewed by the Council."

"I'm not exactly the best candidate for an interview."

"I know, but when you want to be charming you can be. And if the happiness of your children—"

"Wait, do we need the Council's permission if we only live together?"

I was pissed. As a result of my father turning Padraig, I had missed my chance to marry someone I thought I loved (thought being the operative word, I quickly learned what a player he really was.) I had been asked by several mortals that didn't know what I am. A vampire once asked me in 1942, but he was killed when the Nazis struck his home with a bomb and his exposed coffin was opened to the sunlight. I know it sounds silly, but I had been touched that, despite all the problems it was going to cause, Greg wanted to marry me and I was finally going to be a wife.

I turned and walked away. I was so hurt and angry that I knew I might say or do something I'd regret, but Greg grabbed my arm and spun me around. My retractibles came down and I snarled at him.

"Whoa!" He said, staring at my retractibles. "You're really pissed! What did I say?"

"You suggested that it was too much effort to get permission to marry, so why not just live together?"

"Well? It seems a way to avoid their prying eyes."

I swallowed hard and thought about it. _Marriage? It was going to be rough. I wouldn't age and he would, how would we explain it to others? I'd have to convince him to move and start again. He wouldn't do that. I could get away with maybe 15 years at best and lots of stories about plastic surgery, but what then? Marriage would just make it more difficult._

As disappointed as I was, I realized that it would make it easier leaving Greg someday when I could no longer keep up appearances. I tried to sound firm and practical, "No you're right. We'll just live together."

He stepped in and put his finger under my chin to lift it, "You want to get married, don't you?"

"Yes, the girlie side of me does, but the practical side says that it would just make all the legalities harder later, when we have to part."

"Part? Who said we're parting?"

"Greg, I'm going to age slowly. You're friends and family are going to notice that I don't look like my age. We have maybe fifteen years together and, unless we leave Princeton, someone will grow suspicious and want to know what's going on."

"We'll figure something out. But, you really think I'd let you go because you look _good?" _He grabbed me up in his arms. "This way I get the hot chick now and when I'm seventy I get a trophy wife too. I'm ready to meet the Council."

"You mean you want to get married?" I asked trying not to sound too excited.

"How could I say no to your girlie side? I'll have a ring for you soon."

"No need. My grandmother's wedding rings are in the safe. I'd really like for them to be used, if that's okay?"

"Hey, it's your finger. I really don't care."

"I'll buy you a ring."

He winced. "I don't really like rings."

I dropped my retractibles on purpose. "Not negotiable."

Eyebrows up, House nodded. "I get your point."


	44. Chapter 31 Part I

**Chapter 31 Part I**

**The International Order of Vampires**

"You look handsome," I told him as I straightened his Jerry Garcia silk tie. "Are you ready for this?"

There were no words, but he managed a short nod. He wouldn't admit to me that he was nervous, but I could see his foot fidget when we sat down and his entire body tense up every time the door opened to the Council.

"The Council chose the board that's going to decide. There are five on the board including Sophia. Caleb and Daddy have already gone before the board to present the matter. I guess it's not a shoe-in because Caleb said it's up to us to sway one more to our side."

"Well, if they say no, will you still live with me?" He asked pointedly, wanting me to assure him that we were going to be together no matter what.

I hesitated, which I shouldn't have done. The door opened and two vampires walked down the hall towards the elevator, having had the board decide a matter for them. We were next.

"_What?" _he practically screamed.

"If they say no to our marriage, we won't be able to cohabitate. It's too much of a temptation for us to just elope. They'll demand we separate."

Greg jumped up, throwing his hands in the air. "Fuck this! I'm not letting a bunch of fucking vampires tell me whether I can live with my kids and the woman I love!"

Grabbing his suit coat, I pulled him back down in his seat and looked around, hoping no one had heard him. We were in the hall of the Marriott, sitting in chairs waiting for the Council to call us into the little conference room. My heart was beating so hard I thought Greg could probably hear it. I was very worried that they heard him considering their hearing is twice as sharp as a mortal.

"You will let them tell you, because the alternative isn't that pretty. I don't want my children to be fatherless."

It must have registered that he could be dinner at the next vampire banquet, because he shut his mouth and sat back, waiting quietly. I thought he looked handsome. His beard was trimmed, his hair very short, his deep blue suit, a brand new Armani (a gift from my father) hugging his physique. The only glitch in his wardrobe were the new Nikes he insisted on wearing.

The door opened and a vampire called to us. "You may come in now."

We looked at each other, kissed and then marched down the hallway to the room. It was a small room set up so that the five members of the Council sat behind a table facing the audience. There were two chairs pulled up near the Council table for us.

Sophia smiled encouragingly at us. I was grateful to see Francisco Catalonia, a handsome man of about fifty (at turning) from Argentina on the panel. He was a kind vampire with a romantic soul. He'd have a hard time saying no to love. Next to him was Shin Gwang-sun, a Korean Council member and king of Korea. I only knew him from the conventions. I had no clue what he would do and I couldn't tell, his face was a blank slate. Inigo Vila Guerra was from central Africa and a kind looking man who had just been voted to sit on the Council after the death of the previous Councilmember from the area. He would probably vote with the majority, new members tended to hate to rock the boat. His skin was almost a blue-black and beautiful. Inigo smiled at us to ease our nervousness. And then there was Tobias Beardsley of Australia, a tanned, blond, average looking man with a great physique. Tobias was no fan of mixed marriages, hated mortals and was suspicious of live vampires. He had even started a 'back to basics' movement which simply meant, 'back to killing humans and having the fun of the hunt.' I thought it was unfair that he was allowed to sit on the panel knowing full well that he was unlikely to be fair.

"Have a seat Kiara, Dr. House." Sophia said in her Italian accent.

The introductions were made and I felt a certain relief of my anxiety when Greg's hand found mine and squeezed it. I doubt the exchange of affection was missed by the board.

Gwang-sun leaned forward, hands clasped on the table. "Dr. House, we've done a background check on you. Why should we take a risk that you won't tell the whole world about us? It seems as if you have a big mouth."

"And risk my children being exposed to scrutiny? I'm a jerk and a loud-mouth, but I love my family. I'm not going to put them in the line of fire."

Gwang-sun leaned back in his chair, his demeanor unchanged.

Sophia sat up. "Greg, you had an affair with me. How do we know you'll be faithful to Kiara? We take marriage between mortal and vampire seriously and if you have affairs with mortals, you may share things with your lover about us that you shouldn't."

"First, our 'affair' was before Kiara and I had kids, we had just had a fight and, well let's face it, you seduced me by getting me drunk and suggesting that Kiara was probably out having a good time partying with Walter."

_Good time? Sophia knew that I was visiting my mentor—not out having a good time. That bitch._

Sophia actually blushed and looked quickly over at me. I tried to remain calm, but it took all that I could muster from jumping over the table and staking her.

I couldn't take it. "I'm sorry, but this man isn't going to say anything. He risked his life to save mine and our child's. He's had numerous opportunities to expose us and at one point he had no reason not to yet he chose to remain silent. I know you have interviewed vampires at the hospital, but Greg, like most people, is different around his family. He's loyal and protective. He won't be blabbing, so can we move on with another line of questioning?"

The board gave each other looks of annoyance. I hadn't scored any points with them.

Greg squeezed my hand again. "You have to forgive Fa--Kiara; I think I'm wearing off on her. She's just nervous because this means a lot to us. We have two children that straddle both worlds and we're committed to making sure they know the rules whether they're with mortals or with vampires. It's easier if they have two parents who can do that. My son needs a father who can father him through the mortal half of the world—"

"What about the vampire world?" Inigo asked.

Greg didn't skip a beat. "Believe me, I'm sure Lord Larkin and King Burberry will make sure he knows the proper male vampire etiquette."

"You'll let Caleb Burberry spend time with your children?" Francisco asked.

I shuffled in my seat, wondering where Greg was going with this.

"I've already discussed it with Caleb and we have come to an agreement that our son will spend time with him in England and Caleb is more than welcomed in our home any time. I consider Caleb Burberry an important person in my children's lives."

Frozen, I was shocked that this was coming out of Greg's mouth and I wondered if he meant it. But, of course, I nodded in agreement and turned back to the Council.

Tobias picked his head up to ask a question. I felt my stomach flip flop as his eyes narrowed and fixed on Greg's. "Dr. House, at some point you're going to look very old and your wife will look young, so young your friends and employer are going to ask questions. How will you handle that?"

"By then I'll probably be retired and just consulting. We'll move if we have to and Kiara will be my trophy wife."

There was a chuckle from the Council.

Tobias didn't stop, his voice grew nastier. "But, what about your family? Are you prepared to cut your family out of your life to hide Kiara's youth?"

"My mother will probably be dead by then. I have an aunt and her family that I haven't seen in twelve years and have no intention of getting close to. Essentially, there's no family to worry about except Kiara and the kids."

The interview went on for an hour. There were inquiries into Greg's drugs, hookers, gambling, drinking and surly attitude. He took it better than I did, staying calm and answering the questions. They finally excused us and we left.

I got down the hall and into the elevator before exploding. "Jesus Christ, did they have a hard on for you?"

House raised his eyebrow. "What are you so worked up about? It wasn't you on the hot seat."

"Yes it was. Don't you see, they're screwing with us to send a message to all vampires. A message that vampires and mortals don't mix."

"You honestly think they're going to turn us down?"

I sighed and started to cry. "I don't know. But, it won't be because of you. My God, how did you keep your cool?"

He laughed at me. "I've been up in front of a lot of boards and juries. I can play good cop when I have to."

I collapsed into his arms and he hugged me as the door opened. Practically carrying me out, he gave me a big squeeze and told me to stop my blubbering.

"I still have faith in your father and Caleb."

"Sophia?" I asked.

He clenched his forehead and shrugged. "She was giving me weird vibes, the heebie jeebies."

I had hoped he hadn't picked up on it too; that it was just my imagination, but he was right, Sophia seemed odd today. I didn't know what was going on.

Driving home we were quiet. When I walked through the door, I could hear some arguing coming from the salon. Greg gave me a look and I started to rush in, but Greg grabbed my arm and put a finger over his mouth. I realized he wanted to listen in on the conversation.

We crept through the dining room to the other salon entrance where we could hear better. Before I even reached the other door I could hear Daddy's voice and he was pissed.

"Why is she giving in to Tobias? I just don't understand!"

"Sean, calm down. You know he's been threatening Sophia with passing laws that say mortals can't be paid donors."

"Ridiculous! He wants us to go back to the dark ages, skulking at night, mesmerizing poor victims, killing them so you don't have to feed for weeks." There was a string of Gaelic cussing and then quiet.

"What will they do if the Council votes no?" Caleb asked soberly.

"Knowing Kiara, I'm not sure." There was a pause, "She'll have to really think about it. If she marries Greg, the Council could go after him and then her, maybe even the children as punishment."

"Over my staked body." Caleb said. "Sean, if they harm a hair on Kiara or the children's head, I'll go after them."

"You'd have company. I'd be with you." Sean said.

I shuddered. This would be civil war. Caleb had thousands of vampires all over the world loyal to him for things he had done for them and their sects over centuries and centuries. He was well loved and could muster a huge army if he needed.

"Maybe the Council needs to know." Caleb suggested.

"But, when do we tell them? Do we let them make their decision and tell them if they make the wrong one or do we let them know now so they can make the right one?"

Caleb was calmer, "This is what Tobias wants. He wants to drive a wedge between the old and new kings. He wants to take us back to when vampires tormented and killed mortals. He wants us to take over the mortal world. But Sean, I don't think he wants the children dead. I think he wants the children so that he can start a race of vampires that can live during the day so we won't have to rely on mortals to keep us secure while we're in our lairs."

"Where did you hear this?"

"I have ears in his sect."

"My God. This is more serious than I thought." Daddy sighed.

I looked at Greg and could see he was angry and about to blow. I tried to grab his arm, but it was too late, he stormed ahead.

"These sons of a bitches better not touch me, Kiara or the babies." He yelled as he went out into the salon.

"Greg, how long have you been here?" Caleb asked.

"Since you talked about a vampire civil war. What does that mean?"

"Greg, you need to let us handle this. You could get killed."

I finally walked in and joined them.

Daddy shook his head in disbelief. "Acushla, did you hear—"

"Daddy, I heard it all. Caleb, are you certain that he wants my babies?"

Caleb winced and hesitated. "Kiara, please let us deal with it."

I was trying to stay calm. I walked over to Caleb and crossed my arms over my chest. "Caleb, I'm serious. You need to tell me."

He studied me and then shook his head. "You're going to kill him."

I pretended to be noncommittal. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Caleb snickered, "You don't fool me. Acushla, if you go to his lair in the day and kill him, you'll have proven his point that you are an abomination, that live vampires and their children should be carefully controlled from birth. The vampire nation will be divided and the ones on his side will be after you and the babies."

I stood my ground. "Caleb, does he want my babies?"

He looked me in the eyes and then sighed. "He told one of my moles that if he could just find out what makes your children able to handle daylight he could make the vampire nation invincible."

I started shaking with anger and fear.

Caleb's eye widened with worry. Reaching out he encircled me with his arms and pulled me to him. "I'll be staked before they do anything to the children. Please, let's all sit down and talk this through. No one should do anything until we've figured this out."

Greg was sitting in a chair rubbing his lips with a finger, contemplating what he should do. "I know what I'm going to do."

We all turned and asked, "What?"

He shook his head, "It's best if you don't know."

"Greg, don't do anything yet. I think we need to let the Council make up its mind first. They'll give us the ruling tomorrow and then they'll be here for the next ten days before they go home." Caleb said.

Greg slowly nodded, "I can go along with that."

"Honey, please don't do anything. Let us handle it." I went over and pushed his leg over to squeeze my body onto the seat of the chair with him.

He put an arm around me and kissed my head above my ear. Then he explained, "If they find out that you or Caleb or Sean had anything to do with it, they'll use it for their own purposes. Our children are going to need the three of you to survive. If they find out I did something and I die, all it will look like is a crazy mortal taking revenge for not getting his way."

I looked at him and it hit me like a bat that he was ready to defend us—with his life. Gregory House wasn't thinking of himself. He was thinking about his children and maybe even me. I felt this swelling in my heart. The love I felt for this man was overwhelming.

"Greg. Let's go get married now."

My father jumped up. "No! Acushla, you know that you'd be punished. They'd be legally allowed to take the children, kill Greg, censure you. Please don't do it."

"But, Daddy, I can't stand the idea that Greg and I might be parted."

Daddy shook his head, "You won't be. We're going to work on this."

I nodded, but I wasn't too sure.

**Dear Readers, **

**I'm glad to find out that you've stuck with me through my illness. Please review, it's always nice to know someone is reading and enjoying the story. Thanks, Kim**


	45. Chapter 31 Part II

**Chapter 31 Part II**

**The International Order of Vampires**

Caleb and Sean decided that they needed to see Sophia and discuss with her the consequences of what might happen if Kiara was denied permission to marry the father of her children. Driving to the warehouse that had been rented to house hundreds of coffins for the conference, they were quiet, worried, afraid that their world was about to shatter. When they arrived most of the vampires were upstairs in the loft apartment that functioned more as a hospitality suite after everyone had awaken. Most of the vampires also had rooms at the Marriott for the purpose of showering and entertaining and then came back to the basement of the warehouse to sleep.

"Are you sure about this?" Sean asked.

"Yes, I want to know what's going on with Sophia."

Sean thought about it. "I do too."

Walking into the warehouse, there were a dozen or so vampires simply standing around talking. Each of them paused and acknowledged the two kings as they walked through to the freight elevator. Pushing the button to go up, Caleb wished that he could have had the conversation alone without Sean. The love Sean had for his daughter sometimes clouded his judgment. But Caleb couldn't really fault him; he was feeling anxious too and realized that he too would do anything to save Kiara and her children.

The elevator came to a stop and they opened it up into a large apartment that overlooked Lake Carnegie in the distance. Walking through the crowd, the vampires parted and exchanged greetings with Sean and Caleb. Caleb asked where Sophia was and was informed that she was on the couch near the large windows.

They pushed through and found Sophia sitting on the couch in a purple jersey dress, not too dressy, not too casual. Her beautiful breasts were framed by the v-neck plunge. Looking regal as usual, Caleb and Sean walked up to the coffee table. The look on Sophia's face when she glanced up told them both that things were not going well.

Taking a deep breath she held out her hand for them to kiss. "Caleb, Sean, I'm a little surprised to see you here."

Sean looked over at Caleb and shrugged. "Why wouldn't we be here?"

Eyeing the crowd and finding most of the vampires were looking at them; Sophia motioned to the second story of the loft. "Let's go upstairs. There's a sleeping area where we can talk."

Following Sophia, the two male vampires both watched as her round ass rocked back and forth up the steps. Sophia immediately sat down on the bed with her legs over the duvet and her back leaning against the while silk padded headboard.

"What do you want?" She asked, plain and simple.

Caleb took the lead since he was the ranking King. He sat the kid leather chair in the corner while Sean sat on the end of the bed.

"Sophia, we've heard that Tobias is blackmailing you into voting against Greg and Kiara."

Sophia shifted and tried to appear indignant. "Oh, you don't think I can come up with reasons why a mortal shouldn't marry a live vampire?"

They simply stared at her to let her know they weren't going to dignify her answer to the question. Sophia finally huffed and hit hear fist against the bed.

"Tobias is gaining votes from the Council to require that we obtain our blood from _unpaid_ donors or from hunting. I would have to let go hundreds of mortals who are paid to give blood once a week. It would mean dozens of families in Bagnoli Irpino alone that would lose a substantial portion of their income. They know too much about me and the vampires that live there or who vacation there. If they were to get angry, they know where to find and stake me. What can I do?" She looked to them for answers.

"He won't have enough votes, not if I start a campaign against it."Caleb replied. "If you had come to us, we could have done something."

"He wants to take us back to the dark ages." Sophia said, her body shuddering as she did.

Sean spoke up. "Sophia think this through. What do you think will happen if the Council says no to Kiara?"

She sat up a little as if by doing so she would be their equal. "Kiara will have to stay away from Greg, but I made Tobias promise that Greg will not be killed."

"No, that's not what's going to happen and you know it." Sean said, disappointed in her logic.

"What then?"

Caleb sighed and then answered, "Greg and Kiara will probably marry anyway. Tobias will use their marriage as a platform to try and take the children from Kiara so that they can be studied. But, do you really think Sean and I will let him do that?"

Sophia's eyes opened wide when she realized what they were suggesting. "You can't mean civil war! Over a mere mortal?"

"Over a mortal who is the father of my grandchildren and who knows a lot about the world we all live in."

"Then let's have him killed so he can't say or do anything." She suggested.

Caleb said calmly, but with a voice that sent shivers down Sophia's spine, "No one is killing Greg or taking Kiara's children or keeping them from being a family."

"So you're saying this Council Board's vote is all for show. If you don't get your way you'll take on the Council?"

Sean opened his mouth, but Caleb held up his hand. "Sean, let me. I'm saying that this is an issue that the Board needs to look at from all angles. Tobias desperately wants to use and breed live vampires and now the children as part of his program to raise soldiers to protect vampires during the day so we don't have to rely on mortals for protection anymore. Take away the daytime threat of the mortals and you have a race of creatures that can essentially control the entire planet. That's what he wants. We want Greg alive so that we can keep the family unit intact and be able to watch over them. We're just as interested in the children as Tobias and would like to see if they can work it out as a mixed family. But most of our interest is more out of love for Kiara and the children than some type of genetic project to make us the superior race."

Sophia looked Sean straight in the eyes. "Would you support them if they married without the Council's approval?"

"I won't support their decision, but I won't let the Council break them up or do harm to any of them."

"Caleb?" She asked.

"I feel the same way."

Sophia closed her eyes and shook her head. "We've already voted. It was three to two against them marrying."

Sean jumped up and stared at her. "How did you vote?"

She opened her eyes. Frightened, she wasn't sure she should tell them. "I voted against them."

Caleb leaned forward, his forehead knitted, eyes narrowed. "But,why?"

"Like you said, he threatened me with the paid donor issue. I couldn't let the balance in my territory between vampire and mortal go to hell and have thousands suffer so that Kiara and Greg could marry. I didn't realize that you two would start a civil war over this. I thought you would accept the decision if Greg being allowed to live. Please don't do this. Hundreds, maybe thousands of vampires might die. And what if you two lose? We'll be living with Tobias as our leader when he should be licking your boots. Is it worth it? Is this mortal worth it?"

"My daughter is. She plans to marry whether the Council gives permission or not."

Sophia looked deep into her old friend's eyes. "Oh, Sean, what now?"

"Now Sophia, you're dead to me."


	46. Chapter Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**To the Mattresses**

Sophia gasped and looked towards Caleb who gave her no reassurance. The men turned and practically ran to the elevator and then out the door. Getting in the car they sped a few blocks away before they spoke.

"Kiara has to be moved." Caleb said.

"She won't go."

"She will if you order her to and if we explain that it's the only way to keep the children alive." Caleb suggested.

"Yes, perhaps. But, what about Greg?"

"I don't think he'll go. He has something up his sleeve."

Sean nodded as he stared out the window at the deserted Princeton road that led to his home. "I worry about that. I suspect it has something to do with Guardians."

"I think so too. It breaks my heart that Sophia didn't come to us first."

"Yes, but this is the path she chose."

"I'm still sad. We've all been friends for centuries."

Sean looked at the button on his suit coat and fingered it. "Yes, I'm sad too. This explains the coed's death. Tobias is allowing his sect to hunt. It pisses me off that he's allowing them to hunt in my territory."

Driving up the long driveway to the manor they both watched as the door opened and Kiara ran out to meet the car. Sean watched and winced at the sight of her anxious face. "Damn, she looks so hopeful."

"We don't have time to be gentle." Caleb warned.

The car door closed with a resounding thud and the two of them approached the steps. Kiara ran to her father who put a loving arm around her shoulder.

"Well?" Kiara asked, trying to read her father's face. "What did she say?"

Caleb grabbed her free hand and squeezed it. "We need to talk to you and Greg. Is he in?"

"Asleep on the couch."

"We'll have to wake him."

"Oh, God, if it were good you'd let him sleep."

"Acushla, it's not good." Sean said.

Denton opened the door and the three made their way to the salon where Kiara yanked on Greg's foot. "Honey, wake up. Daddy's home."

Greg came up with a snort and rubbed his face. "Huh? Oh? Well, what did she say?"

Caleb sat in the chair nearest the fireplace so that Sean could sit closer to his daughter who was now seated on the sofa holding onto House. Sean reached out and took Kiara's hand. "The Council has already voted. They denied your request."

House sat up straight. "What the …?"

Kiara was stunned. "Sophia?"

Sean couldn't tell her. Caleb leaned forward, "Tobias more or less blackmailed her into voting against you."

"She'll pay for this." Sean said grimly.

Kiara said nothing as she sat, frozen. The idea that Sophia would do this hurt to the bone and made her queasy.

Caleb spoke up, "Kiara, we warned Sophia that this would drive a wedge into the Order which means she's probably told Tobias by now. I don't think it will be long before he whips his backers into a frenzy. We need to move you and the children so that they can't get to you while we decide what to do."

"Where?" House asked.

"We can't tell you." Caleb said.

"Like hell!" House yelled.

"Greg, it's for the safety of the children. If you know where they are, then if you are caught by Tobias or his followers they can mesmerize you into telling them. Even if you didn't want to, you might unwillingly disclose it." Sean said.

House looked upset, but he didn't resist or contest what they were saying. He knew all too well that he was no match for a vampire if he were in their clutches.

Caleb felt sorry for House, knowing that if he were him, he'd want to protect his family too, keep them nearby to make sure they were safe. But, they weren't safe in Princeton. "Greg, can you leave the room so we can talk to Kiara about the move?"

He wanted to tell them to go to hell, that he would take care of them, but he wasn't a fool. House got up and walked into the library where he flopped on the couch and turned on the television to CNN.

Sean took Greg's place on the couch next to his daughter. "I think we should send you to Ireland. I have a lot of muscle in Ireland."

"Sean, that's exactly where they'll look first. I want to send her to my castle in Dornach, in the Hebrides. It's so remote that I doubt anyone will find her. Half the population of Dornach are vampires of my sect, the other half are mortals, many of whom depend on me for their livelihood in one way or the other."

Sean looked at Caleb, "Are you sure you can protect her?"

"Yes."

"I want to send some of my Irish guards."

"Fine, they can stay in the basement of the castle, not a problem. Kiara?"

"I know I have to leave and I frankly don't care where you send me as long as you believe we'll be safe. But, I want Greg to go too."

Caleb nodded sympathetically. "Darling, we'll try to talk him into going, but I don't think he's going to budge. He seems intent on doing something to resolve these issues."

"How long? How long do you think this will take?" Kiara asked.

Caleb thought to himself that the last time there was a rift in the Order of Vampires, it took fifteen years before they were able to resolve the differences. Thousands of vampires were staked and decapitated during what they termed, the War of Orders. It had started in 1746 when the Western European Order of Vampires tried to recruit some of the younger vampires from the Romanian Order of Vampires. The Romania Order of Vampires were known for having the best hunting and mesmerizing skills. During the fifteen year war, all the Orders, fifteen of them, were dragged into the squabble. In the end all of the then existing Orders were amalgamated into one, the International Order of Vampires. It had been a long time coming and Caleb had been one of the founders. The International Order was formed in 1761.

The issues at stake now were even more fundamental. It essentially boiled down to, what will the vampire's relationship be with mortals? For centuries, Caleb had fought to improve the relationship, teaching vampires how to feed without killing, to live side by side with mortals, but now Tobias wanted to take them all back to the dark ages with one caveat, he wanted to build a bigger, better, invincible vampire—one that could survive in the sun. With that capability it would mean that vampires would be superior in all aspects of the vampire-mortal relationship.

"I don't know, but you'll have a full staff in Scotland. Pack warm clothes. No need to pack shorts, you'll be too far north for it to get too warm. We'll send your vampire nanny with you. You'll have to hire a village girl to help you during the day." Caleb said.

Kiara tried to remain calm. "Before I go to Scotland, I have something I need to do. Daddy, you need to charter a plane to take us to Las Vegas. I won't leave the USA until Greg and I have married."

Sean pulled his head back. "Don't you think you should ask Greg if that's what he wants?"

I nodded to my father and walked to the library door, opening it and joining Greg as he looked up and followed me with his eyes.

"Well? What's going on?"

"You and I are flying to Las Vegas to get married and then you can come with us or you can go wherever you want."

He smiled, mildly amused at my demands. "Do I have a say in this?"

"Do you need one?"

"I thought you wanted a big wedding?"

"I can have that later. But, I don't want to go on the lam unless we're married. I want to know that we have something we need to protect."

"Protect? We're protecting the children, we're protecting you." House barked.

"Okay, so we don't go to Vegas." I turned and walked back out to the salon with my father.

Greg, sensing he had said the wrong thing, jumped up and ran after me. "Kiara, can I play some Black Jack while we're there?"

Caleb and Daddy were confused by the question.

"Greg, the only thing we're going to be betting on are the odds that we'll make our marriage work and survive with our lives in tact. Are you game?"

"If it means thirty years of vampire sex, I'm there."

I turned to Daddy, "We want to fly to Las Vegas and get married."

Caleb closed his cell phone. "I'm afraid we don't have time to do that, I just found out that they've called in some mortals to make a move. I don't think they'll be here before noon tomorrow because they need time to put together a plan." Caleb turned sadly to me, but said urgently, "You have to pack and leave. We have a plane chartered for ten am—" he looked at his watch, "In five hours. Obviously, your father and I won't be able to escort you and the children. Are you going with them Greg?"

"No. I have a job here and besides, my shrink will pull my license if I don't report in every week."

I think we all knew there was more to his reasons for staying, but he kept them to himself.

Sean looked deep into Greg's eyes. "Then we can count on you getting her and the children to the airport?"

There was a slight smirk, but it soon slipped into a serious gaze. "Yes, I'll make sure they get on the plane, Sean. You can be assured of that. In the meantime, if you are going to have a visit by mortals, you better round up some yourself to stop them. I'd literally call the police once your staff sees them. That plus whomever you round up as guards should cause them to think twice about slipping down into the basement."

"I'm arranging the force now. Besides, we won't be here. Caleb and I need to leave now to get to where we need to be."

My father turned to me and grabbed me up in his arms, hugging me. "I love you, Acushla. Take care and I will do whatever it takes to bring you back here as fast as possible."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Caleb came over, shook Greg's hand and gave me a kiss and hug. Then he slipped upstairs and I heard the door to the nursery open and close. It broke my heart to think of him upstairs saying goodbye to the children. A few minutes later he was downstairs looking grave and sad.

"Goodbye, Kiara." Then he looked at Greg, "I'll see you later, Greg. Take care of them."

"I will."

My heart was breaking. Caleb was more worried than I had ever seen him which is why I was so frightened. Caleb must have sensed that this could get ugly very quickly. He took a deep breath and grabbed a jacket for the cool fall air.

"Caleb?" I called out. When he looked up at me I gave him a smile, "Could you please take care of Daddy. Make sure he doesn't play the hero?"

He nodded and then took off towards the door and out to the car.

Greg watched for a few minutes and then walked to the stairs. "Where are they going?"

"They'll use the cellar at my house."

"You mean below where I'm renting?"

"Yes and no. They'll go through the lower apartment and then to the cellar below. There's another secret cellar underneath it that can sleep four."

"Hmmm. I didn't know that." Greg turned and kissed my head. "We need to pack."

"Yes."

I went straight to the nursery and retrieved the large suitcases from the closet. I handed one to Greg, "Fill this with toys for both of them. I'll pack the clothes." I pointed to the toys I knew we would need and then went to the chest of drawers to get the rest. After forty minutes the kids were packed.

Riane woke up and grabbed Greg's neck, begging him to give her a piggy back ride. Greg let her get up on his back as he went out to the top of the stairs to call her nanny to come up and feed her.

"Can you feed Riane and give her mother and I a couple of hours alone? We need to probe into something."

The nanny, oblivious to the double entendre, took Riane downstairs. Greg turned and came back into the nursery, stopping to smile when he saw me nursing Jack.

"He woke up."

"I would too if I thought I could get you and that breast alone in a room. Do you think he'll go down?"

"Oh yeah, this is dinner to him. I'll change him and he'll go to sleep."

Greg came over and stared down at his little face, took his finger and ran it down Jack's cheek. "God, I never thought I'd be jealous of a five month old."

Half an hour later we were in my room packing my clothes, but I was making little headway. Greg kept grabbing me, pulling me to his lap and touching me all over. I'd kiss him and then get up, pack a little and then he'd grab me from behind, kissing me on my neck and rubbing up against me, his bulge pushing into me.

"Greg, the quicker I get packed, the faster I can pay attention to what you're packing."

"But, it's hard. I haven't been with you in so long."

"Just ten minutes, okay?"

He humphed and then sat down on the bed, grabbing the remote and turning on the television.

As I threw my toiletries into my bag, I spoke up, "Greg, don't be a hero. Let Caleb and Daddy handle this."

"Right. You really think they care whether I live? With you and the kids secured, they're going to forget about me."

"No, my father likes you and so does Caleb. Believe me; if they didn't like you, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant with Jack…you'd have been dead."

"Aren't you done yet?" he asked impatiently.

I shook my head and continued. When I zipped up the suitcase and rolled it over to the door, Greg stood up and unzipped his pants and let them drop to the floor. Then he ripped his t-shirt over his head.

"Come on, Fangs, get movin'. I know I'm fast, but we only have half an hour for me to get in some quality screwing."

I had to laugh, because despite his playful attitude I could tell that he was worried, uncertain about the future and concerned about our safety. I pulled my leggings off and then the tunic blouse. Greg lay back on the bed, grinning up at me as I crossed the room to him. I grinned back and then slipped up on the bed, straddling him. I tried to memorize every line, every scar, every curve of his face. I didn't know how long we'd be apart and it scared the hell out of me. I shook my head as tears stained my face.

He sighed and furrowed his brow, pulling me down to his chest and holding me. His smell was delicious and the warmth of his skin against mine calmed me to the point that I was able to stop crying and just enjoy listening to his lungs pull in air and his heart beat steadily. All the urgency of his need slowed down as he gave into my need to hold him, absorb him. His hand stroked down up and down my back slowly and gently.

Greg wasn't the first to move, I did. I lifted up to his mouth, parting my own lips and kissed him, our warm tongues touching. I sucked on his lip briefly as I pulled away. My heart started to quicken when I felt his hand slip down the back of my panties and cupped the cheek of my ass. We kissed again, but this time I started to grind my mound into his penis, slowly, rhythmically. He closed his eyes to concentrate on what I was doing, his erection getting stiff under the cotton of his shorts. I wriggled against his body, letting him push my groin into him with his hands on my ass. His breathing picked up along with mine. I was wet from just his hands inside my panties and his tongue touching mine. I sat up and reached behind unlatching my bra and let it slip down my arms.

He laughed a little. "You gotta love Vampire blood—your breasts are back to their proper round little C's."

"C's! As long as I'm nursing, they surpass a C. They're a D minus.""

"Ah, do you think Jack will mind nursing when he's thirty?"

I laughed and then bent down to allow him to take my breast into his mouth. I could feel my milk let down. Opening my eyes, I saw Greg's widen in surprise and pull back.

"Whoa! I thought you just fed him?"

"I did, but I'm a milk machine right now. What, you didn't like a little milk?"

"It's sweeter than cow's milk."

"That's because I'm sweet."

His voice grew husky as he studied my breasts and reached up to touch me, his fingers gently pinching my aereola. A single drop of milk escaped, resting on the tip of my nipple. He reached up and licked it off and then kissed me, inserting his tongue into my mouth so that I could taste the sweetness.

"It is sweet."

"Like you said, you're saccharine personified. Now, you know that huge, thick erection leaning on your back? Get on baby; it's time for Daddy to bring you home."

I lifted up and grabbed his erection, lowering myself slowly on the bluish-pink shaft. He let out a gasp of pleasure and grinned like a devil.

"Two kids and you feel as tight as a drum."

"It's the vampire blood." I began a slow pulsing movement up and down causing him to grimace and grunt with each downward stroke.

I sat, riding him, my back straight, face up, eyes closed. His long fingers slid up my inner thighs and then up my abdomen to my breasts. Exploring every inch of my skin, I felt as if I would explode if he didn't touch one spot or another.

"Oh, God, don't stop." I couldn't help but entertain the thought that in less than two hours I would be without his touch, without his breath on my neck, without his warm body in my bed. I wanted to drink in every vibration of molecule that he put into motion with his gentle touch.

"Kiara—" He stopped, pushing his head back into the pillow, his mouth opening trying to catch the air around him as his body jerked in climax. "Bite me."

I didn't, instead I clenched my muscles around his shaft and pumped up and down until he was spent. He flipped me over and inserted a finger, rubbing fast over my clitoris until I was moaning and clenching his shoulder. When the last wave left me, we were quiet for a few minutes.

"Why didn't you bite me?"

"Wasn't it good?"

"Great, but I just wanted to be closer to you."

"You don't need to be bit to feel close to me darling. I wanted the sex to be normal, mortal. I wanted to you dream of me without the stimulation of fear and the narcotic of my bite."

He rolled his torso over mine, holding me as he looked down, "Believe it or not, I have dreams of you that don't involve sex."

"That's really nice."

"God, I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Hopefully this will be over soon."

"We better shower."

I nodded.

The shower proved to be just another opportunity to touch him, to play with the gray hair on his chest, to marvel at the double octave fingers that were now wrapped around my breasts like a bandeaux. I leaned back into him, turning my head up to kiss him.

We exchanged no words until the end when I handed him his towel. He held his arms out wide to expose himself.

"Well get a gander, it may be awhile before you see something this magnificent."

Tongue in cheek, I gave an approving look. "Oh, baby. That's a thing of beauty, hard for anyone to get out of their mind. It will make great fodder for some hot daydreams."

He grinned and then his face dropped. "I love you, Fangs."

"I love you too."

He stepped closer to me and leaned down to kiss. The brush of his lips against mine made my heart ache.

"We need to go." I said quietly.

Brushing out teeth at the sink we both bumped each other's hips playfully until I sent him flying several feet.

"Oh! Sorry."

"You have to watch that strength of yours!"

We dressed and then went to collect Jack and Riane. Four huge suitcases accompanied us in the back of the Towncar and in the passenger seat next to our driver. Greg kept turning around to see if anyone was following us, but he saw no one.

Pulling up outside the hangar for our private jet, we got out and walked solemnly towards the plane. Greg, seeing the worried look on Riane's face, picked her up and carried her, giving her tickles and kisses along the way. I felt like a refugee; I guess we were refugees.

We climbed the five steps up the Beechcraft and into the luxury cabin with six sand-colored leather chairs. I buckled Jack's car seat into one of the chairs next to me and then turned to see Riane buckled in and Greg sitting next to her talking to her, making her smile. It hit me how much his daughter loved him and would miss him.

_God, make this go away and deliver us back to the ones we love._

Greg reached over and kissed his daughter, then stood and crossed over to Jack who was awake and not happy about it. He had started to cry, little tears on his eyelashes and a mean bump raising up between his eyebrows.

"He really hates being awake during the day, huh?"

"I was just like him. He'll tolerate it better as he gets older and his body gets accustom to it."

Pinching Jack's cheek, Greg told him, "Hey, buddy, don't worry, you'll get to sleep soon." Straightening up, he continued to stare at his son. "I can't wait to get to know you better. Love ya' buddy."

We walked down the aisle to the door. My heart was so heavy that I thought it would pull me down to the floor. He reached around me and sighed.

"Fangs, be careful, and find a way to get in touch with me, let me know how you three are doing."

"I'll try. I'll figure out a way. I love you." I had my head resting on his chest as the pilot motioned that he was ready. Greg gave me a big kiss and pulled back, the sadness written in deep rivulets on his brow. Jack let loose with a howl and even Riane started to cry out for her Daddy. In one fell swoop our little family was miserable and I didn't know how or when we would ever be happy again.


	47. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**Sheltering**

Castle Dornoch was built sometime during the late 15th century and had been remodeled on a continuing basis ever since. The latest renovation was hardwiring for all the latest gadgetry. The bishops of Caithness had once been sheltered at Castle Dornoch during the Catholic purge. The large castle sits on the top of a rise in the middle of town. There are views of the gardens and from the top floor there are views of the sea. Surprisingly, the castle was a warm mixture of the new with the old, a large lump of granite that rose into several towers and wings.

Entering the castle, Riane hugged my leg, frightened by the silence and grandeur of the place. I had Jack's carrier in the other hand. It was night and the vampire servants were awake and rather excited at having us as their charges. A middle aged woman named Ann rushed to greet us, wiping her hands on her cherry stained apron.

"Ah, Princess, we're so happy to have yee in our wee abode. We'll be takin yous to your rooms. Are yee hungry?"

"Yes, a light snack for me and my daughter would be great and if you have any pureed bananas for the baby—"

"We went ta Boots and bought the lad some baby food, will that do ya?"

"Yes, perfectly. Now, our rooms?"

"Before we go upstairs, King Burberry instructed us to show yee the tunnels. There are two entrances in the castle to the tunnels. One in here." We walked through the large hall and into the butler's pantry. Hitting what looked to be one of the butler's bells, the wall opened revealing a dimly lit staircase into what I was told was an elaborate tunnel system under the castle and the town, built by Caleb centuries ago. "The other entrance is upstairs in a guest bedroom. It is triggered by what looks to be a curtain pull."

She took me upstairs and showed me the pull in the guest room. "There are four of us who know about tha tunnels. King Burberry, you, Michael Burns and me. Obviously, it's for emergencies."

We were then shown to two adjoining rooms. My room was very large with a canopied bed, fireplace and soft gold damask curtains with velvet under-curtains that could darken the room to pitch black. I loved it.

We went to the adjoining room where the staff had bought a baby's 'cot' (crib) and a twin bed for Riane. The room was a gorgeous coral and light green with large windows to the south that would probably fill with sun, much to Jack's chagrine, in the mornings.

"Miss Ann, this room is absolutely beautiful, but I want the children in my room for now. Would it be possible to move the beds in with me? We can make this their playroom."

Keenly aware that I wouldn't have been sent someplace so remote if the danger to me and my family wasn't real, I could see Ann understood my concern.

"Aye, of course we can."

"I appreciate it."

Jack was wide awake and even Riane seemed alert since it was still day back home. I realized we would all have to get used to the time change. I knew that Caleb frequently liked to come up during the winter because the nights were so long Scotland. He said it almost made him feel like a mortal again. I laughed to myself, Jack was going to love it here.

"Ann, I'm going to need a mortal servant to help with the castle during the day. Any suggestions?"

"We already have a wonderful day staff. We have two groundsmen and two house staff, one of which is a cook. I'm sure that they'll be happy to watch the wee ones should yee need it."

"Thank you."

"King Burberry wants to make sure you're comfortable and we aim to do his bidding. I've arranged for ya to greet the staff downstairs before we serve ya dinner."

I met the cook, the driver/handyman, the night groundskeeper/muscle and then of course I had already met Ann. We ate and I asked if we had any donors willing to give Jack some blood.

"Aye, we have a few, but not enough for nightly feeds for everyone." She admitted.

I wasn't surprised since there wasn't a very large population around the castle. "So, you have to hunt?"

"Yes, we do a few times a week."

"My son needs to be fed a few times a week, but he takes at the most, half a unit. I can go two weeks and my daughter varies depending on how active she is. She usually feeds once every two to three weeks."

"Fine, ma'am. I'm sure we can find a donor when you need one. Since the bairne doesn't feed much, I think we can arrange it."

"Thank you, Ann."

Over the next few days we all settled in and got used to our surroundings. Riane enjoyed running through the long halls and screaming to hear the slight echo. That lasted about ten minutes before I corralled her and encouraged her to color. Jack loved the fact that it turned dark so early. He was more playful and energetic than usual.

I felt comfortable in the castle, but lonely. I missed Princeton and the ones I left behind. Not sure how anyone was going to get in contact with me, I was isolated and going crazy wondering what had happened.

Later I would realize it would have been better if I had been kept in the dark.

x x x x x x x x break x x x x x x xx

"Princess!"

I turned my head and looked past the Tiffany lamp on the side table. I had been reading in the library while Riane slept and Ann happily fed Jack some solids. Standing in the doorway was one of the groundskeepers, Michael Burns. He was dressed in jeans, a plaid shirt and green jacket and holding up a cell phone. "Princess, it's the King."

I threw my book down and jumped up, practically tearing the phone from his hand.

"Daddy?"

"No darling, it's Caleb."

"Oh! Caleb. I'm so glad you called, it's been two months; I was going nuts! How's Daddy?"

"Your father is fine." His voice was strained and cautious.

"What's going on? You sound distressed."

"I am. It's been very difficult since we last saw each other. The day you left they sent mortals to take you and the children."

"_What?"_

"Tobias hired mortals to kidnap you and the children the afternoon that you left. I discovered that a rather large faction, mostly from Asia, Australia and portions of Africa, have bought his idea for a superior race and, of course, he thinks live vampires and your children hold the key to that vision."

"Just like Dieter thought too." I said.

"Tobias and his cronies don't want you marrying a mortal; they want you out there mating with other mortals to create genetically diverse vampires that can stay out in the sun. He convinced them that they should kidnap the children to study the genetic component that allows them to be sun tolerant."

"And vampires actually went along with him?"

"He made it sound like you were nothing more than a lab rat, not really a true vampire." He paused and took a deep breath. "Well, there was a skirmish here. Some mortals managed to get past the gate and into the manor. They staked and decapitated Denton."

"Oh, God, no! Oh, no! No! Oh—"

"Darling, I'm so sorry, I wish I could be there."

I couldn't really hear him I was crying so hard. And then it hit me. "Greg? What about Greg?"

"He wasn't here when it happened. I don't know what's going on with him. I haven't seen him since you left."

"Oh, God!"

"Kiara, don't get yourself worked up. I'll find out how he's doing and call you back later. Tell me, are you settled in?"

"I'm fine. Caleb, tell me what happened."

"One of the mortals made it downstairs and opened Denton's coffin. He woke and tried to attack, but the stake was already through him. One of our mortal guards managed to get downstairs, kill the Guardian, and wake the others. Your father and I were at your home and in no danger, but Mario and the other vampire guards killed seven of them in the cellar alone."

"Caleb, what does this mean?"

"That night, we were hit again by vampires when we returned to your father's home. I lost Gordon and your father was staked, but not through the heart."

My whole body jumped. _"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I'm coming home, I'm coming home!"_

"Kiara! Stop! You are not going to come home. You're in the safest place possible and that means your children are in the safest place possible."

I just wanted to hold my father and make sure that he was okay.

"Kiara, he's well, he healed immediately. He killed the vampire who staked him, he's fine."

"What is the Order doing about this?"

"They had an emergency session a month after you left. Tobias sat on one side of the room spouting his prophecy and vision for the future. Your father stood up, looked directly into his eyes and said, 'You killed my servant and companion. Stop your stupidity now and I promise that I will only kill you. Kill anyone else in my sect and I will kill your entire sect. Harm my daughter or my grandchildren and anyone who ever supported you will die." He turned to the Council and said, "If you fail to take action again Tobias for the outright murder of another vampire, Gordon and Denton, then I can no longer be a part of the IOV." And then he walked out."

"What did the Order say?"

"They said nothing at first."

"And you?"

"I told them that if they did not support Lord Larkin, then I would be forced to leave the IOV and do whatever was necessary to support him and our way of life. They voted on whether or not to bring Tobias to trial for the death of Denton."

"And?"

"Of the 150 votes, 128 voted to support your father. Twenty-two, including Australia, France, Phillipines, Indonesia and India voted with Tobias."

"So, they are going to try Tobias for murder?"

"No, the dissenters called in their guards and informed everyone that they were removing their sects from the IOV and that they were declaring war on your father and me."

"Oh, no!"

"I was, of course, worried about your father who had not been there to hear this, but I had to stay to settle down the remaining sects."

"Well?"

"They wanted to try and mediate, but that was soon brought to an end when word came back that they had taken Gwang-sun captive since he had voted in favor or your nuptials."

"The Koreans must be furious. What is the Council going to do to get him back?"

"We got him back. His head was in a box and his torso was in a bag with a stake through it."

I couldn't breathe. They had killed the King of Korea without any negotiation or reservations. It was chilling. I started sobbing into the phone. This violence, my worry over Daddy, Greg and Caleb was too much; I had to do something to bring it to an end.

"Caleb, I can't let them do this. I can't let the entire vampire nation be torn apart because of me. Tell the Council that I won't marry Greg, that I won't see him again."

There was silence. "Darling, it's no longer about your marriage, it's about your children. Tobias wants them. Your children are in danger."

"Caleb, what have I done?"

"You did nothing; he used you as an excuse to make a move he's been wanting to make a move for a long time."

He was probably right, but it didn't make me feel any better. Now I was worried about my entire family.

"Any idea of what to do?"

"The remainder of the Council voted me as Emperor until this crisis is over. I've already started to initiate action. There have been several battles and your dad has lost two dozen from his sect. Tobias is convinced that you are still somewhere in Jersey, thus he's concentrated his hunting and mayhem on the East Coast. I've lost ten vampires in London, when they heard a rumor you were living in my house. Each sect has lost some except for Southern Italy. No one has heard from Sophia, she's basically the Switzerland of the Vampire nations. Sadly, when this is over, I'll have to strip her of her crown for what she did and didn't do. The greatest worry I have is keeping you and the children safe. Please keep your eyes open. Make sure you have a gun with silver bullets. Think about learning how to shoot the crossbow."

I had to chuckle. "Honey, I was hunting with a crossbow when I was thirteen."

"_Honey, _that was more than a century ago when we had all of Ireland to play in."

"I could kick your skinny ass, Burberry—any day."

He actually laughed and then we both went silent.

"I'm worried about you." He said soberly.

"I know." I took a deep breath, "Please have Daddy call me and Greg too. I need to hear their voices."

"Of course. Ciao, cara mio."

"Bye."

I hung up and looked around, grateful that my children were here and not in Princeton. I thought about Denton and started to cry again. Denton had been my father's butler/valet for the longest time, having joined our house when I was five years old. My father had just been made King of Ireland. Before being turned, Denton had been an estate manager as well as a husband and father of two children. The vampires killed his family and turned him because he had certain skills they lacked. He could run an estate better than anyone in a one hundred mile radius and the vampire couple that turned him needed someone to run their estate when they were gone.

My father discovered what they had done and had the couple stripped of their estate. He awarded it to Denton who appreciated my father's actions so much he came to work for him. Denton ran all of my father's estates and, as the years went by, acted as his butler/valet. He was family and now, because of me, he was dead.

I spent the next few days walking through the town and on the cliffs next to the beach, trying to figure out what to do and waiting for the phone calls I so desperately needed.

Asleep one night, I heard a sound down below and footsteps up the stairs. I grabbed the shotgun next to my bed and waited. There was a knock on the door and Michael Burns called out in a loud whisper, "Princess Kiara? I have someone on the phone for you."

I opened the door and reached out, hiding in my nightie behind the door. "Who is it?"

He shrugged. "Someone named Greg."

I grabbed the phone and ran back to the bed to get comfortable while we talked.

"Greg? Honey?"

"Hi Fangs. How are you?"

"Lonely. You?"

"If it weren't for the hookers and the porn channel, I'd be lonely too."

"Not funny. You don't know how much I worry that you'll do just that."

He tsked at me. "Look, I'm not banging anyone, it was a joke."

"I know, I'm just sensitive."

"How's Frick and Frack?

"Jack's loving the long nights. Riane keeps asking where you, Daddy and Caleb are. She's used to being surrounded by men and is a little testy."

"Tell her Daddy—" There was a deep emotional pause. "Tell her Daddy loves and misses her."

"Ah, Greg, I knew you could do it. How does it feel to be wrong?"

"About what?"

"Unconditional love."

"Oh, I have conditions. The condition is that she stay a toddler and never gets her period."

I laughed and then I grew serious. "Have you heard?"

"About Denton? Yes, I spent the afternoon with your Dad and Caleb yesterday. My plans went to hell in a hand basket. I had arranged for the Guardians to take Tobias out, but he picked up and moved the other day. We think he's still in New Jersey."

"Damn it, Greg, just let Caleb and Daddy handle it."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see the wisdom of that."

"Really?" I wasn't sure why he was having the change of heart or if he was telling the truth.

"I had a few visitors the other night outside the hospital. One managed to get a pint out of me before Mario made mince meat of him."

"_What?"_

"Your Dad apparently had me put under some kind of vampire watch. Since they couldn't come into my house, they waited until I had to stay late with a patient and tried to take me out in my office. Mario managed to tear the bloodsucker a new one but got blood over everything in the office. Boy, did I have some explaining to do, but I'm alive. I'm bunking with your Dad now and I've got my own posse wherever I go."

"What does Cuddy say?"

"Well, my day posse kinda just lurks around. The night boys are a little more in your face. It's got Wilson freaked out, wondering who these new anemic friends of mine are. I just tell them that they're bikers I hang with."

"Cuddy doesn't mind them hanging around?"

"She hasn't met my night crew."

"I'm glad you have the company."

"I'd rather have you in my bed."

"Honey, I'm so sorry."

"Well, this is what you get when you fall in love with a bloodsucker."

"Or a mortal. I better let you go."

"Yeah, when will they let me call you again?" He asked, somewhat annoyed that he even had to asked.

"I don't know, Greg. I'm not even told who or when someone's going to call."

"Well, maybe next time we can have phone sex?"

I laughed. "Deal. I love you."

"You too. Give Frick and Frack some noogies."

"Uh, okay. Bye, my love."

"Bye, sweetheart."

x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x break x x x x x x x x x x x

Caleb took the phone from House and put it in his pocket. "Does she suspect anything?"

House shook his head. "Nah, she thinks I'm going through my daily routine."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"He wants to study my children, take them from their mother and who knows what he wants to do with Kiara. What have I got to lose? Kiara and the ankle biters are my life now. That and Monster Trucks."

Caleb smiled. "Well, it will be day in eight hours; we need to finalize these plans. No offense Greg, but you're really not what I would call a stealth warrior so please be careful. Kiara will never forgive me or Sean if anything happens to you."

"Thanks, Dad, but I'm wearing big boy pants now. I can even wipe my own butt."

Caleb laughed. "I see why Kiara finds you so amusing."

"She does?" Greg sounded tickled that Kiara had said something about him.

"Strange as it seems, Kiara seems to find you enchanting."

House leaned back in the chair and for a moment his guard fell and Caleb could see how miserable he truly was. House took a deep breath and looked over at Caleb, seeing on his face sympathy for the feelings they shared.

"You miss her too, don't you?" House asked.

"I miss all three of them."

"My kids are lucky to have you in their lives." House said and then quickly flinched from embarrassment.

Caleb could tell that House felt uneasy about the admission. "Thank you, Greg. I just hope I can continue to be there for all of you."

"Okay, let's get back to this plan."


	48. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Sometime a Hero**

The day was clear and bright although colder than usual for early fall. House drove into the parking lot of the bar and parked in the only handicap spot they had. Walking in, his eyes adjusted to the dim light as he scanned around. The bar was closed to the public, but the door had been left open for the mortals who were gathering for the meeting.

House looked around and saw two men that he recognized in the large booth. Hector Lopez was a tall burly Latino with a goatee. His companion was a squirrely looking guy they called Squid. He had been in the Navy for six years. Squid's older sister had been turned by a vampire when he was thirteen. He hated vampires.

As House walked in he called over to the bartender, "Modelo Negro." The bartender nodded back to him and then went to the refrigerator under the bar. The red naugahyde vinyl squeaked as House slid into the booth. The bartender walked over to deliver the beer.

House broke the silence. "Well, what did you find out?"

"They've got a lair in the basement of a rental house in New Hope." Squid said.

The idea that three kings would rent a house in New Hope seemed odd and out of place to House, a little too Ozzie and Harriet. "Why? Why would they choose a house in New Hope?"

Hector Lopez slapped squid upside the head. "It not just a house, it's a fucking mansion with acres of high security and really bad ass dogs. This isn't going to be easy."

House took a drink. "Well, what's the good news?"

Squid and Hector said nothing.

"Christ." He sighed. "How many mortals do we have on our side?"

"Ten." Squid answered.

"How many mortals do they have?"

"Six."

"Well, that's good news."

"There's more…some bad news." Hector said, looking very glum.

"_What?" _House barked, frustrated by their melodramatic approach to the situation.

Hector blurted out, "They have a live vampire. A male."

"Crap!"

"According to my source, he sleeps until mid-afternoon, but he can function in the sun."

"Yeah, I know the drill all too well. That changes a lot. We need to alter our plan and take a gun with silver bullets. Who has one?"

"Not a problem, all of us have silver bullets for our guns." Hector pulled out some shiny pure silver bullets from his pocket and showed them to House. "Mario always makes sure we have a supply for problems just like this."

"I've got the gas bomb; it should put them out for an hour or more. I don't know if it will work on the live vampire, though."

House thought about it and nodded. "We'll leave in an hour and a half. Have everyone meet here and we'll drive up together. Don't forget the crossbows."

Squid and Hector nodded while House finished his drink and scooted out of the booth. Slipping his sunglasses on, he went to the hospital to talk to the team about the latest patient. House had taken a year's leave after a large donation came in from Sean Larkin to keep the team working while House consulted by telephone. The current patient was giving the team a difficult time and so House agreed to go in and read the MRI and Pet scan himself.

Just over an hour later, he was back at the bar, his blood racing so fast that all he could hear in his ears was the sound of the blood rushing with each beat of his heart. There were two SUV's in the parking lot, both black, both with dark windows.

House walked into the bar and saw several men and two women dressed in winter camouflage clothing. He almost laughed at them, they looked like they were out of a _Predator_ movie, but realized they were serious. Hector handed him a crossbow and a quiver of arrows. House had been practicing for several months, but was still unsure as to how well he would shoot under pressure.

Ordering a shot of Tallisker, he knocked it back, then asked for another. Squid came over and showed him the nail gun.

"Great. Now, do you have a cat's claw?"

Squid nodded showing him the hammer with the claw to remove the nails.

House smiled and stood up. "Okay, guys, stick to the plan. According to Doug, the code on the security gate changes every few days, but luckily he was the one who changed it yesterday. We'll call the police to answer a possible burglary and sneak in right behind them while the internal security is distracted with the police. Doug will be waiting in the security room to loop the cameras after the police show up so that it plays a locked gate over and over for the other guard. He won't know it's open.

When we get inside we'll put on the gas masks and use my bomb if we need it. The rest you know, but we have to act fast. If we wake them, they will be able to fight while we're in the darkened cellar, so be prepared."

On the way over, the Ford Escapade was quiet. The police had already been called and the scanner had indicated that they were in route to the house. From a block away, they watched as the police passed through the gate. Hector had already positioned himself so that when the gate opened, he would disable it in an open position by crimping the hydraulics. As soon as the squad car disappeared, Hector did his job and everyone jumped out of their cars and stormed the grounds, then Hector removed the crimp and allowed the gate to close to prevent suspicion. So far, so good.

Hiding behind the shrubs, they watched as the police eventually went back to their squad car and left the grounds, having obviously been told it was a false alarm. House crossed the grounds to the back and took out a glass cutter, cutting a large circle in the cellar window and opening it. It was connected to the security system but Doug had disabled the alarm for five minutes while House opened the window and placed a mirror to reflect the beam back to the sensor. The men climbed through the cellar window, passed through until they reached a set of stairs that led to the next level down, a level with no windows. It was a dirt cellar with large blue tarps placed on the ground for the coffins to sit on. It was obviously a makeshift lair, nothing like the one that Sean slept in.

There were eight coffins. House signaled to the men to take their positions.

House counted, "One, two ,three!"

Each of the men literally sat on the coffins to keep them from opening. Hector went from coffin to coffin nailing them shut. Sounds of vampires trying to open their coffins sent chills down House's spine. House knew that if even one escaped they would be in serious trouble, but the vampires were being held in by either a large mortal body on top, or by six inch nails hammered in with a nail gun. After the coffins had been secured, the men opened the door to the stairs and with four men on each coffin, took them up the stairs one by one to the next level where the sun poured through the small cellar windows. Each coffin was placed where the sun would shine on the body if the coffin was opened.

House and Squid looked at each other and nodded. They made their way up to the ground floor of the mansion and, after sitting the gas bomb in the middle of a round table next to the flower centerpiece, House joined Squid off to the side of the room. They put on their gas masks and then Squid fired a shot into the air from his gun.

Security poured in from all sides. House hit the remote on the bomb and the gas started wafting through the air. Within seconds, the security guards fell, lining the floor with their bodies. House quickly realized that they had a problem. Douglas had told them that there were six mortals, yet only five were in front of them, meaning one was somewhere on the grounds.

They didn't have much time, the vampires would soon be able to push themselves out of the nailed coffins and, although they were in the sunlight coming through the windows, there was plenty of room for the vampires to escape down into the cellar, burned, but not dead. The mortals had to get the coffins outside.

Doug came running into the room with a wet towel over his face and waved House out to the hallway. House joined him, taking off the mask when they were well away from the gas.

"What?" House asked.

Doug was agitated. "The remaining security guy just went up to wake the live vampire. You guys need to hurry."

"Crap!" House crossed over to the doorway and yelled at Squid. "Get them moving. I have to go hunting." Turning back to Douglas, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"I've got my silver bullets." Douglas said as he patted his pocket and took his gun out of the holster.

House was hoping Douglas would go first, but Douglas managed to maneuver into the position behind him.

"Where am I going?" House asked as he climbed the steps to the second floor.

"His room is up the stairs and to the left."

Just as he said it, House saw something whiz by out of the corner of his eye. He had managed to take the silver tipped arrow and was about to load it when he felt the hands of the vampire grab around his arms. House knew that if he got his fangs into his neck, he'd be paralyzed so House threw both himself and the vampire down the stairs.

Rolling over and over, they landed a few feet apart, the vampire slightly stunned from hitting his head on the marble. House scrambled up against the wall and brought his arrow up. Doug was running down the steps, aiming his gun in their directions. House wasn't sure who he was aiming at, he was shaking so badly. The gun went off and surprisingl it hit the vampire in the foot. The vampire turned to go after Doug, who wasn't quick enough. House heard the familiar sound of fangs through muscle and jumped into action.

He didn't bother loading the crossbow; it would have taken too long and probably gone through both of their bodies if he fired. He climbed the steps as quickly as he could and stabbed the arrow into the back of the vampire exactly where he knew the heart was. The vampire pulled his fangs out of Doug and tried to grab at the arrow, but it was both silver tipped and wooden and within seconds he was laying at the bottom of the stairs.

Doug grabbed his neck, stunned and disoriented, almost falling from the vertigo he was experiencing. House put an arm under his shoulder and helped the beefy guy down the stairs only to see the security guy at the top of the stairs taking aim. The gun went off just as House jumped off the steps, rolling with Doug on the floor and out of the site of the shooter. The two men were effectively pinned down, unable to cross the foyer without taking shots.

Looking around, House saw that Doug's gun was on the floor about five feet from them, but within the shooter's view. House pulled an arrow from the quiver and reached out with it, pulling the gun to him with the arrow. The guard got off several quick shots at House's hand, missing him each time. House could tell from the trajectory of the bullets that the security man was making his way down the stairs.

Doug was able to reach for the gun, taking aim in the standard police stance. House pulled his crossbow from his shoulder and on the count of three, they both jumped up. The security guard shot at Douglas, but missed. Doug got off a shot but missed as well. It was happening too quickly for anyone to take the time to focus on what they were doing. House, unable to take the time he wanted to aim properly, managed to hit the man directly in the shoulder with an arrow, causing him to drop his gun down the stairs.

Holding his gun on the security guard, Doug motioned for him to come down the stairs. House picked up the other gun and held it on the guard. They all made their way outside where the last of the coffins had been brought up.

House motioned to the group of men, "Go get the dead vampire in the hall. We need to remove his head."

Several of the guys ran back and carried the body outside where the bravest of them took the ax and removed the vampire's head. With the coffins lined up, House looked at his watch. It was three in the afternoon and they still had two hours of daylight, but only a few more minutes before security woke up from the gas.

House reviewed the coffins and was able to count three Kings among them. Each of the Kings had their seal on the lid of their coffins. House smiled when he saw the sumptuous filigreed Australian Kookaburra tree designed in platinum on top of the most lavish of all of the caskets. House nodded to each of the guys to open them.

The claw hammers were passed around and the nails removed, but the coffins not opened. The vampires, sensing from the heat in their coffins that they were in sunlight, had gone quiet.

House yelled out, "One, two, three."

Each casket was opened as two of the men, known to be the best shooters, stood with their guns ready. The vampires clawed at the air above them, grimacing and bearing their retractiles. All tried to get out to attack, but the sun was too bright and the lawn too big for them to make it into the shadows alive. The sound of their screaming as their bodies burned into melted piles of flesh made House feel nauseated. He wondered if the same fate waited for Sean and Caleb before this war was over?

Just when House was about to pat himself on the back, he saw it--the Kookaburra casket was empty. Tobias wasn't in it.

"Doug, where's Tobias?" House asked with urgency.

Confused and frustrated, Doug threw his hands up. "I don't know! I thought he was in there."

"Crap!" House clenched his teeth and then asked, "Who are the others?"

"Three were kings and the remaining were vampire guards."

Although disappointed that Tobias had managed to escape their plan, House was still pleased with the outcome. "Great. Which countries were the kings from?"

"India, Phillipines and France."

"We got the Frog?"

Doug nodded.

"So the only King out there who's against us is Tobias."

No one said anything. The mission was both a success and a failure. They had crippled the movement in one fell swoop, but hadn't destroyed it. Only the demise of Tobias would insure that his children were safe. So, where was he?

House turned to his accomplices. "Hector, put the live vampire and his head in Tobias's casket. Doug, get the security tapes and let's get out of here."

Douglas ran back into the house and grabbed the tapes so that Tobias couldn't identify the men and women who took part in the raid. When they arrived at the bar, House bought them all a drink. They stayed until seven drinking and enjoying themselves. House, having had too many whiskeys, ordered a cab to take him to Sean's.

Traveling up the driveway, House saw that the lights were on throughout the house. He walked through the door carrying his crossbow and quivers. Caleb and Sean both walked quickly out to the foyer to greet him, their hands extended. Shaking Caleb's hand, House shook his head in disappointment.

"Tobias wasn't there."

Caleb grinned, "But, you managed to take out three opposing kings! My God, the IOV is celebrating all over the world. Tobias has been seriously crippled. You've done a marvelous job. Well done, Greg, well done."

"They had a live vampire, a male."

"Yes, there aren't many in existence, perhaps a half dozen at a time."

"Why not use the males to create this society of his?"

"They have no sperm. We don't know why some of the women are born fertile, but even that is a tossup. And, as you know, most of the women don't survive labor."

House frowned, tired of the fact that everyone seemed to want a piece of Kiara and the kids. Caleb could see House's mood was darkening. He walked over with a flute and poured him the 1996 Dom Perignon.

They drank champagne and ate filet mignon after both Caleb and Sean drank from a donor. Staying up all night, Sean ended the evening with a warning.

"The only problem is that now he's desperate and he's going to do something desperate."

Caleb nodded. "I'm worried about you, Greg. I think it would be wise if we transferred you to England for a few weeks."

"I agree with Caleb. In England, the Brits can protect you and you can get out of the line of fire. He's going to know it was mortals and he's going to suspect that you might have had something to do with it." Sean said.

House shrugged, his tired limbs felt. "When do I leave?"

Caleb patted House on the back. "I'm going home tomorrow, that's when you leave. I'll put you up in my Kensington home where Kiara was living."

"Fine. Can I talk to Kiara?"

"In a month. She's not near a phone right now."

"Where the hell are they? The South Pole?" And then he thought. "No, she said that Jack was enjoying the long nights. You have her in Sweden or …Scotland. She's in Scotland."

Caleb gave away nothing. House admired that he was so stoic and decided that he would never play poker with him.


	49. Chapter 35 Part I

**Chapter 35 Part I**

**Night Moves**

"Where are we going, Michael?"

"I was just told to get you and the kids to the airport as soon as possible."

"By whom?"

"The King. He's the only one who can give orders when it concerns you."

"But, why?" I was frustrated. Something had to have happened if Caleb was moving us this quickly.

"I'm sorry Princess, I don't know."

We hurried and packed and were out the door of the castle half an hour later. We made our way to the little airport and were escorted onto the small jet where we waited and waited until we were given clearance. I had no clue where we were going because I didn't have a chance to talk to the pilot, but after an hour and a half I could see the lights of London as we started to land. I exited the plane, grabbed our luggage and put a sleeping Riane in the stroller, letting Jack walk next to me. I turned and standing behind me was Caleb. I started to cry at the excitement of seeing him for the first time in almost nine months.

A guttural cry escaped from the back of my throat. "Oh, God! It's so good to see you." I hugged him as hard as I could while I still held onto Jack's hand. He hugged back and then bent down to look at Jack.

"Oh, blimey, he's the spitting image of his father, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's jumped into the 90 percentile too."

Caleb turned to the stroller and looked down on his angel. "Kiara, she's gorgeous. She's a hybrid between the two of you, isn't she?"

"I guess. I see her father in her, but not much of me."

He laughed, "Oh, I see a lot of you in her. But, then I remember you as a little girl. Come along, let's go."

"Caleb, why are we here?"

"Things have heated up and I needed to get you to London where I can increase the security around you. We're going to Kensington."

"What happened?"

Caleb told me about Greg's bravery as we drove through the streets of London in the limousine. By the time he was done, we had pulled into the garage behind the Kensington house. As the driver assisted us inside with all the luggage, I noticed that there were two men in the library watching television.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Your bodyguards. There are two more that you can't see that are stationed outside."

"Oh, you really think they may attack here?"

"I think Greg took out three Kings and probably pissed a few vampires off doing it. These are his two children. What better way to get revenge?"

"What about Greg? Where is he?"

'He's safe. Now, I'm going to play with my boy, Jack, here. Why don't you put Riane to bed in her room and then get some sleep. You look knackered."

"I am tired. Are you sure you can put Jack down later?"

He gave me a look as if I had just insulted him.

Holding up a hand I nodded. "Okay, sorry."

I grabbed Riane from the carrier and took my overnight back up with me. Her room was down the hall from mine. When I entered it, I felt like we were home, it smelled and looked so familiar. I put her in her little bed and then quietly closed the door, picked up my bag and went down to my room.

Opening the door I stepped back when I noticed a body in the bed. But then I smelled the AB blood and heard the light snoring and my heart jumped! I squealed and saw him jerk up, shocked when I tackled him in bed.

"Oh my God! My God, my God!" I screamed over and over.

He reached quickly and turned the light on. The look on his face when he realized it was me sheathing him was priceless. He looked as if he had just won the lottery.

"How did you get here?"

"Caleb flew us in. He didn't tell me you were here."

Greg smiled, "He didn't tell me you were coming." His arms encircled me and pulled me into his chest. "Damn, I missed you so much. How long do we have together?"

"I don't know. I just know you're here, I'm here—"

"The kids?"

"They're here."

Greg jumped up and was out the door leaving me sitting on the bed by myself. I heard his footsteps on the stairs and some male voices from below. A few minutes later he was back with Jack in one arm and a groggy Riane in the other. He put them both in bed with us.

"Daddy?" Riane said, rubbing her eyes.

He nuzzled her and kissed her cheek. "Hi pumpkin-umpkin. How are you doing?"

"Daddy, where were you? I missed you."

"I missed you too sweetie."

"Uh, Greg, she was sound asleep."

"And?" He asked.

"Jack was down with Caleb. We could have had a few moments together."

He looked at me as if he wasn't getting it.

I stared wide eye at him, "_Alone!"_

"Oh." It finally hit him. He gave me a guilty look and winced. "I just wanted to see them."

Now the kids were both awake and I was really tired. I got up and changed into a t-shirt that I could wear to bed. I climbed under the covers and watched the kids with their father. Greg was talking to Jack, whose limited vocabulary made for interesting conversation. Riane was climbing on the bed and jumping up and down trying to get Greg to pay attention to her. With all the attention on Greg, I found myself falling asleep.

A kiss. It was a kiss on my lips and then stubble rubbing against my cheek. I opened my eyes and noted quickly that there were no children in the room.

"The kids?"

"Asleep. Even Jack. It's just you and me and this bed."

I picked up the covers to scoot over and smiled when I discovered that he was naked and very happy to see me.

"That's impressive." I said nodding towards his groin.

"I've been growing it just for you."

"Yes, I seem to remember that you win blue ribbons for it."

"You smell good."

"I haven't had a bath since yesterday. We weren't given much time to get ready for the trip."

"That's what I mean, your smell…it's you. I like it."

"Ditto. It's just nice to have your arms around me again."

My face was buried in the hair on his chest and my arms were around his waist. His muscular arm was draped over my body like a warm blanket. We looked at each other and kissed, his nose against mine, his tongue warm and moist in my mouth. Those long hands went down my spine to the curve in the small of my back, pulling my groin into his. I could feel the thick erection pushing into my abdomen as our breathing grew heavy.

Dipping his head down, he licked and sucked on my breast until my nipple was erect and begging for more. I wanted it Missionary, I wanted him covering me, encapsulating my entire body, filling me, watching me. I wanted the closeness that only came from him being on top.

His breathing was quickening and the fervent moves of his hands over my body told me that it was time. I pulled his body over and he pushed between my legs. We joined and for a moment we just enjoyed the feeling of being connected, of being one. Greg kissed me hard and then nature took over. The temptation of being inside of me was too much for our bodies, we began the dance.

It was slow. We could feel the friction of our thighs against each other, my breasts on his lower chest, his hips between my thighs. I could feel the slide of his shaft as he withdrew and then pushed deep, slowly inside of me. The smell of our bodies, the sex, the sheets, were both exciting and comforting. This is what I had longed for, this union of body and heart.

Greg picked up speed and several times I thought he was going to come, but he didn't. Finally, his body could contain the orgasm no more. He whispered to me, "Bite me."

The sound of flesh tearing, the initial pain and then the feel of the narcotic being hurled through his body with the rush of his pulsing blood, was too much. His ejaculation seemed unending, his moan loud enough to be heard several rooms away. He grabbed the pillow as if to hold on against a tornado as the moan stopped and he gasped for air. Falling to his side, his chest heaved up several inches and back down.

"Greg?"

In a breathy voice he nodded, "Okay, I'm okay." There was a pause and he started to grin. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. Now spread your legs and let me entertain you."

He started to duck under the covers, but I pulled on him.

"No, I want to see your face."

He slid closer and placed his hand between my legs, slipping his finger inside. It didn't take long until I was feeling the full force of my orgasm. I pumped into his hand as he thrust his fingers, carefully making sure he rubbed my clitoris as he did. My thighs tightened, my toes curled and my womb contracted until I could take it no more. I closed my thighs over his hand to stop it.

We stopped, the world stopped. There was nothing more than this, the feeling of being in each other's arms. I wanted to stay this way for as long as possible. He must have sensed it, because he rolled me so that my head was now resting on his chest.

"I love you." He said, giving me a quick one arm hug as he did.

"I love you too."

We fell asleep for half an hour and then got up to shower, before going back to bed. I think we were both counting on making love again in the morning, but when I awoke, a tiny creature had taken my place in Greg's arms. She needed the warmth of her Daddy more than I did at that moment.

I looked over and saw that Greg was awake. He smiled over at me as if to say, 'see what I've got!' They looked so sweet together. I grabbed my purse and took a photo of them with my cell phone. The photo was perfect-- Riane nestled in the crook of Greg's arm, head laying softly on his shoulder. Her eyelashes are resting on her cheeks as she sleeps safely in her father's arms. Greg has a huge grin of satisfaction on his face. The photo clearly shows a man who was both physically and spiritually fulfilled. He looked happy.

"Go get Jack." He whispered.

Shaking my head I said, "No! I'm not going to wake a sleeping baby just for your Kodak moment."

"Please?" he stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

I realized that we might not have much time together and what did it matter if he woke up? I went down the hall and grabbed Jack and took him back to bed. He didn't miss a beat; he slept through the entire transfer from cot to bed. I put him in bed on the opposite side of his sister, in the arms of his father. I took another photo.

They stayed that way for another fifteen minutes and then Greg scooted out of the bed and took Jack back to his cot. We dressed before going downstairs for breakfast. The kitchen had an island with chairs around it for eating on the run. The Aga stove took up a good quarter of the south side of the kitchen, next to the beautiful Dutch blue granite counters.

I went to the side by side and pulled out some eggs, butter, sausages and tomatoes. Greg started the coffee after I showed him where the grounds were located. I went into the living room and noticed that we had two different males sitting on the sofa watching television.

"Would you two like some breakfast or coffee?"

The older of the two stood and smiled. He was dressed in a long sleeved starched shirt and dark slacks. His gray hair was cut military style. I felt as if I was in the presence of someone I could trust with my life. "I'm George Wilton. This is Pavel Korsikov. We'll be your security for today. And, yes, I'd love a cup of coffee."

Pavel nodded too.

I went back into the kitchen and whispered to Greg, "Our mortal crew—very impressive vibe."

Greg took a sip of the coffee, "He's ex-Seal and the Ruskie is some kind of rogue KGB."

"Wow. I thought the older one had an American accent."

"Did Caleb tell you how long we have together?"

"No."

"Now that you're on the run, I don't see why we can't stay together."

"I need to get back to your father. I'm worried that the Aussies will send in a mortal crew to take your Dad out."

"Greg, you're not Rambo. My father's security can handle that."

"Yeah, and I bet Tobias thought his security could keep those Kings protected."

"Greg, you did more than was expected. Everyone thinks you rock. Now, throw in your superhero cape and let others take up the mantel. I want you alive."

"I need to be fed to be kept alive."

The smoke was pouring off the sausages that had been burning while I lectured. "Oh, damn!"

After some scraping off of burnt skin, I fed Greg his breakfast.

"I've never had skinless sausages." He said, staring at his plate.

""Eat!"

"I thought you said you were a great cook?"

"I am! I tell you what; I'll make you and Caleb dinner tonight."

"I'd like to live. Why don't I take you out?"

"Because we have two munchkins and no nanny. I'd like to just shove them in a room with a binky and run, but even the British have standards when it comes to childcare."

"I hate to ask then, what is for dinner?"

"Blood pudding, blood velvet cake, tomato soup…"

"Ha, ha, ha."

"I'll make beef Wellington, but that means I have to go to Tesco's to get the ingredients."

"I thought I'd take Riane to Legoland."

"Are you sure? I mean that's out in the open."

"It's a public place, it's daylight. I'm sure one of these guys will go with me."

"I guess you'll be okay. I need to stay home, clean a little, shop and start dinner later. I'll watch Jack. I think it will be nice for Riane to have a daddy-daughter day. I used to love when my Daddy took me out all by myself."

"Well, Jack likes to sleep and I'd really like to spend some time with her, if you don't mind?"

"Nah, I think it's great."

An hour and a half later, two of the guards were driving Greg and Riane down to Windsor to go to Legoland. I dragged the other two with me and Jack to Tesco. I bought the sirloin steak, some wine, the makings for the dough, carrots, mushrooms, and gravy. I then purchased the makings for Sherry Trifle.

After getting home and feeding Jack, I left him playing with his body guards and began dinner. I figured I'd make it for eight because the four guards were going to be hungry too.

"Has anyone arranged for a couple of donors for tonight?" I asked George and Pavel.

George nodded. "We have two, one for Professor Burberry and one to share between you and the children. We were led to believe that you don't require much."

Actually after my little nip of Greg the night before, I really didn't need any. But, Riane and Jack needed to be fed. I guess Greg could have fed them, but since he had already donated the night before, I wasn't sure he'd feel like doing it again.

"That's fine. We won't require much, but one of the donors will have to volunteer to cut themselves for the children to feed."

"Not a problem."

"Great."

Around five thirty, a tired Greg and a sleeping Riane made an appearance. Greg took her off his shoulder and placed her on the Navy chenille couch with the white piping in the library.

Greg followed his nose into the kitchen. "Wow, something smells good! Where's Caleb?"

"He's feeding. Jack fed and the donor is ready to feed Riane, so we need to wake her."

Greg shuddered. "I still find it creepy to know that my little girl wants to suck someone's blood. What about you?"

"I had some of yours last night, remember?"

He reached up and rubbed his hand over his neck, a sly smile forming across his lips. "How could I forget? Man, that rocks."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, now wake Riane and I'll send in the donor."

"Ugh, could you do that?"

"Greg!" I was disappointed. "You act like I just asked you to change a dirty diaper."

"Well, it's worse. I find it distasteful to watch my little angel sucking blood out of a human donor."

"Get over it and feed her!" I yelled at him.

"Fine! You don't have to be so touchy."

Working madly, I'd had enough. "I'm in the middle of the tough part. So, just be cool, leave me alone."

"Not a problem."

After a few minutes, Greg brought Riane into the kitchen and I caught a glimpse of her drinking off of a young woman's wrist for a few minutes and then she was done.

"Is that all she needs?" The girl asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes," I said. "She just takes a little each week."

"Oh, well, if she needs some more this week, just call me."

I smiled, "Thanks."

The donor left and Caleb finally made an appearance from the cellar. He shook Greg's hand and then came over and kissed my cheek. Grinning down at me he asked, "How did you like my little gift?"

I put my spoon down and turned, grabbed him around the waist and hugged Caleb hard. "You are so good to me. We're all so grateful to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm making you your favorite."

"Beef Wellington?"

"Yep!"

Caleb turned to Greg. "Isn't she the best cook? I always love it when she cooks for me. It doesn't happen often enough."

"I wouldn't know, she doesn't cook for me."

"Then you're in for a treat. Where's Jack and Riane?"

"Jack is with your goons and Riane is asleep on the sofa courtesy of Greg taking her to Legoland!"

"You went to Legoland?" He sounded both disturbed and surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to be out in public with your daughter. Tobias would love to snatch her if he could."

I served the two security guys who were inside and gave them plates to take out to the others. Caleb, Greg and I sat down for dinner with Jack in his high chair and Riane in a booster seat. We were quite the little family.

"Would you like me to hire some help while you're here?" Caleb asked.

"How long am I going to be here?"

"I'm thinking we can probably keep you secure for two weeks, no more."

"If you could find someone to look after Jack while I'm asleep."

"I'll get Lizzy to help out from midnight to five. Will that work for you?"

"That would be great."

Greg helped cut up Riane's food while Caleb fed Jack a few spoonfuls. I almost broke out laughing. It was as if I had two husbands and two fathers, but I didn't think they would approve of my humor.

"Caleb?"

He glanced casually over at me with those beautiful blue eyes. "Yes?"

"You're the emperor now. You can override the Council and grant our request to marry. You can even marry us. Caleb, I want to marry Greg--the sooner the better."

Greg looked up and stared at me. "Don't you have to read the bands in England before you can get married? That takes at least a week and--"

I shook my head. "Greg, we can get married in the Church later. I mean, I want to be married where it will count, in the world of vampires."

Caleb sat back and pursed his lips. A few minutes of silence passed. "I will agree to it on one condition." The look on his face told me that he was serious.

"What?" I asked with trepidation.

"That you not get pregnant again. And, if God forbid you do, you get an abortion."

"_What?" _I jumped up. "Why? Why do you want to control me like that?"

"Because I don't want you to die. I never want to risk what we went through before. Ever. There's no guarantee that the next time our blood will undo the damage to your body."

I could see from the pain in his eyes that he was telling the truth. He was truly worried about my health and my ability to recuperate from another pregnancy.

"Uh, not that anyone's asking me, but I'm okay with that." Greg volunteered.

I barked at him, "Great! Then you can get your balls snipped."

"A vasectomy? Oh, wait. Why don't you get your tubes tied? Or go on the pill?"

Caleb shook his head, "Because she's a vampire. The tubes will grow back and the hormone levels will be repaired. If she has an IUD, her body will expel it. The only thing that might work would be a diaphragm."

"Okay, I vote for a diaphragm. I could use rubbers."

"This is ridiculous--talking about our means of contraception with Caleb at the dinner table!"

"My kingdom, my rules." Caleb said with finality.

I jumped up and threw my napkin at him. "I hate you!" Running from the dining room I stomped all the way up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door in my best teenage tirade.


	50. Chapter 35 Part II

**Chapter 35 Part II**

**Night Moves **

Caleb looked over at House with an eyebrow raised. "I didn't know she wanted more children."

House looked just as shocked, "I didn't either. I'm already two past my quota. Does she throw tantrums frequently?"

"Not since she was fifteen. I must have hit a nerve, but I'm not going to give in on this one. I am doing this because I love her so much."

House winced. "I wish you'd stop reminding me how much you have the hots for my fiancé."

Caleb chuckled. "I better call her father and let him know that we're going to have a wedding in a few days."

"But she didn't agree to your wishes."

"She has no choice and she knows it." Caleb fed Jack another mouthful. "I'm the emperor and my wishes have to be followed. She'll soon agree. She won't like it and she'll be mad at me, but she'll agree."

"You know her that well?"

He looked down at his plate with a sad smile. "Yes, I know her that well."

_The bastard! The bastard! How dare he try to govern how many children I can have! I don't believe him! I could kill him!_

I plopped down on the bed and slammed my fist into the pillow. I wanted desperately to hit Caleb, but I knew it would do no good. I saw the look in his eyes; that look that told me he wasn't going to be swayed no matter what I said or did. I had two options, obey him and marry Greg in the vampire world or marry only in the mortal world and still be in trouble in the vampire world if I had more children.

After an hour, I went down to the library where they were watching television. Jack was on Caleb's lap gnawing on a plastic toy. Riane was asleep on the couch with her head on her Daddy's leg. Greg was reflexively stroking her shiny brown hair.

Caleb looked up, a smug smile across his face.

"Don't give me that look. I want to know what you'll do if I don't get the abortion if I get pregnant?"

Without missing a beat, Caleb answered, "I'll kill Greg."

House jerked back. "_Whoa…what?"_

I knew he was telling the truth and it made sense. Threatening to kill Greg would not only be a deterrent, but if I did get pregnant, it would mean I wouldn't get pregnant again.

"You're a barbarian." I said with all the venom I could muster.

"Perhaps. But those are the terms. I called your father and began the proceedings. Your wedding will be next Saturday."

I didn't even bother to ask him how he knew I would acquiesce. I just huffed and walked over to the couch, plopping down next to Greg with an air of defiance.

He leaned over and whispered, "Are we getting married?"

I nodded.

"No more kids?"

"I guess." I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

He wisely stopped asking questions and watched television. After the program, Caleb stood up.

"I'm going out. I will see you tomorrow night."

Greg nodded, I stared forward. Caleb left.

"Uh, are you okay?" Greg asked.

"I'm very angry with him. Disappointed that he would do this to me."

"Come on, the guy loves you. He loves your kids. If you had fifty, he'd love them all. He's worried about you and he has every right to be. I'm with Caleb on this one. Still want to marry me?"

"No." I said, but clearly I was just pissed off, because he laughed at me.

"You're not very convincing. But, if it's any consolation, I understand your pain."

"What?"

"I mean look at these two kids. Perfect, aren't they? Who wouldn't want some of my little men for their collection?"

I couldn't control the little smile creeping across my face. "You are so full of it."

"Yeah, and apparently it's going to stay that way. From now on you won't be full of it."

"Feel like having sex?" I asked.

"What about ol' Jack in the Box?"

"He'll take a nap in about half an hour."

"Then I'm all for it."

We finally got Jack to take his nap an hour later. We spent little time getting each other's clothes off as we bounced off walls going down the hall. I wondered what the guys downstairs thought from all the banging around we were doing. We managed to get to the bedroom before the bra and panties came off. After an hour of anticipation, Greg was more than ready, his boxers sticking out like a tent pole. He pushed me onto my stomach, stripped the boxers and rode me from behind, holding onto my shoulders with his powerful hands as he stood up at the end of the bed, thrusting hard and fast. It was hot, lusty and primal. We were both grunting and sweating and by the time we reached our almost mutual orgasm, we were laughing.

Collapsing on top of the bed, Greg started snickering.

"What?" I asked.

"Anytime you want to have a fight with Caleb, I'll be happy to have sex with you afterwards."

I started giggling and before long we were holding each other and kissing.

"Crap, we didn't use any birth control!" I choked.

He looked worried, "Freudian slip."

"You need to buy some rubbers."

Nodding fiercely, he said with the conviction of the converted, "I'll buy a case tomorrow."

After showering we flipped a coin to determine who was going to stay up with Jack. I lost. Greg climbed in bed and I went down the hall to sleep in the chair next to his cot until he woke up from his nap.

For the rest of the night, I tried to entertain him, but I was cranky and tired. I fed him and around five in the morning he started to drop off, his little head bouncing, trying hard to give into sleep. I heard the front door, some discussion in the living room and then Caleb walked into the library—with bite marks on his neck.

His hand went up to his neck when he saw that I was staring at the bite. After a few seconds he removed the hand and sat down on the sofa. "You drive me crazy sometimes. Do you think I like regulating your love life?"

"Whether I have children is my business."

"Even if it means your two living children may lose their mother?"

"You're being melodramatic."

He stood up and came over to my sofa, sitting down inches from me. "If you won't take care of yourself and if Greg won't do it, then I will."

I took his hand, the graceful hands I had held for over a century, and squeezed them, "Caleb, I'm not a child. I don't even know if I want more children; I just don't like someone telling me I can't. If I want to risk my life doing it, then I should be allowed."

"Acushla, I couldn't let you. I'd blame myself if you died."

"You wouldn't kill Greg, would you?"

"I want him to think I will."

I laughed. "Caleb, will you be okay--marrying us?"

"I'll be fine." He nodded at Jack, "Let me have him."

I handed a smiley Jack over to him.

I chuckled. "God, he loves you so much. He just grins the minute you walk in the room or he hears your voice."

"That's because we play a lot at night when everyone is asleep. I love them both, but I've really bonded with Jack."

"He seems to like being with Greg too." I added.

"Jack's a gregarious chap."

I nodded. "Once he gets to know you, he's very sociable. But, he analyzes anyone who's new."

"Like his mother."

"Like his father." I countered.

"Poor chap. He's going to be quite clever, isn't he?"

"Yes, they both are."

"We'll be holding your wedding at the temple."

"Really? You're going to let a mortal marry there?"

He sighed as he bounced Jack up and down on his leg. "You're a Princess and Greg just did the IOV a great favor. He's a brave man and he must love you and the children very much to have put himself in such danger. He deserves the honor."

"Thank you."

"What dress are you going to wear?"

"Ahhgg. I have to call Ireland and get them to send me one."

It's the custom of vampires to wear to a wedding the style of clothes that were in fashion when the vampire was turned. I would have to have one of my dresses from the Victorian period posted to me in London as soon as possible. Dad and I tended to think of my twenties as being my acceptance into vampire society. Several of my dresses, including ten ball gowns, had been preserved. My only concern was that I might not be able to lace the corsets that went with them. Since having the babies, my shape had changed. I weighed the same, but my hips were wider and my waist slightly larger and those ball gowns were not very forgiving. I grinned at Caleb, "I can't wait to see you in your gear again. Hot stuff!"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I do strike a fetching figure. You may ditch Greg at the altar and run off with me."

"I just might!" I said, happy that we were laughing together. I couldn't stay angry at Caleb for long. There was so much love there, that even I had to see he was only trying to take care of me.

He looked at his watch, "Bloody hell! I have five minutes to get downstairs. Here, Jack's already asleep."

I leaned in and kissed him; maybe I lingered a little too long because when I pulled back his eyes were closed as if he was savoring it a little too much. I put my hand on his cheek and gave him a quick kiss on his nose.

"You better get to bed."

He nodded and looked deep into my soul. I knew then that someday we would be together again. I think he knew it too.


	51. Chapter 36 Part I

**Chapter 36 Part I**

**Going to the Chapel**

My father was pacing in his gorgeous Victorian tuxedo that had been tailored for his thirtieth birthday party, the night he finished being turned. The top hat made him look so incredibly handsome that I could easily understand why women found him so sexy, although it seemed weird to think of my own father as sexy.

The temple, one hundred feet below the Temple area of London, was lit in hundreds of candles from dozens of sconces and wrought iron chandeliers that hung from the gothic cathedral ceiling. The filigree of each chandelier was intricate, made by craftsmen in the seventeenth century. Feathers from numerous species of birds adorned various surfaces of the temple. Flowers were not welcomed at a vampire wedding because they only tended to remind vampires of their own funerals. The ceiling was gothic in nature and at the end, behind the altar, was a beautiful mural of a full moon over a black river with a long ship sailing across. The river represents the river Styx , the moon is life and the ship is the vampire sailing between the two worlds.

Greg decided to wear a full dress tailcoat with a notched lapel and a white vest. His shirt and bowtie were gorgeous white pique. The shoes were Armani, purchased on Bond Street during an excursion with Caleb to purchase the entire outfit. I peeked out and saw that he looked absolutely stunning, so elegant and sophisticated. What I didn't expect was that standing next to him was James Wilson! I almost passed out. _What was going on?_

I turned back to my father, "Daddy, what is James Wilson doing out there?"

"He's the best man."

"He's a mortal! He doesn't know that I'm--"

"Different?" Daddy snickered.

"A vampire."

"He's going to see a lot of strange things tonight. Obviously, Greg has told him something to prepare him."

I swallowed hard, shaking my head. "Daddy, knowing Greg, he's probably just told him it was a fancy dress wedding."

He shrugged, "Acushla, it's time."

We took our place in the vestry and waited for the harpsichord player to play, _Greensleeves. _I looked at my father, who was now without the top hat and slipped my arm through his. "Daddy, you look so handsome."

"You look absolutely beautiful. I remember the first ball gown you wore, to the May Ball. You were the prettiest girl at the ball. You still are."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, Acushla, more than life and death itself." The music began. "I think that's our cue."

The doors were opened for us and I started up the cavernous temple. There were probably four hundred vampires present. More would have attended had we sent out invitations. Most of the guests were from the British, Irish and East Coast sects. Security had been very heavy with people being screened before entering the temple. Outside there was a virtual army guarding the building in a two block radius. The temple was so large that it was only one third full.

My dress wasn't one of my ball gowns, but the wedding dress of my second cousin, who died on her honeymoon in Italy from some type of food poisoning. I had been her maid of honor and she had entrusted me with her wedding gown when she left. I had insured its preservation until she returned and it could be altered. Usually, a Victorian bride would have their wedding gown altered to be worn to balls or important events in the year that followed the wedding. It was considered an honor if the bride showed up to their event in the altered dress, a demonstration of the bride's esteem for the host. I had forgotten about the dress, but Daddy had arrived from Ireland with it and told me that Maureen would have been honored to know I wore it for my wedding. He was holding the gorgeous dress so lovingly. We both had been fond of Maureen and I knew how much pleasure it would have given her to know I was married in it. I smiled and took it from his hands.

The dress took up most of the aisle as we marched slowly up to the altar. The fan train trailed behind me as we inched towards to Greensleeves. The cream silk satin was lovingly embossed with the finest white crystal beading from Switzerland. The dress had a large bustle preceding the train with rows of pleats fanning down the back. Only the wealthiest of brides would have worn such an elaborate wedding gown and my cousin had been very wealthy. I had to have it let out, my cousin had not only been a size smaller than me, but it was a size smaller than my pre-mom figure. The corset underneath was tight, but not unbearable, but that bustle! They were a bloody nuisance in 1880 but even worse now-- now that I knew what freedom from them felt like. Nonetheless, my father and I glided gracefully down the aisle to a very amused Greg House. I don't think he had expected my dress. He broke out laughing when I couldn't get within three feet of him at the altar without bunching the dress. I gave him a half-serious look to tell him to behave. Behind me I could hear Riane and Jack calling out for us.

"Daddy! Mummy's dress is big!" Riane's voice echoed through the temple to a spattering of laughter.

Jack just kept yelling, "Mommy, Caleb, Daddy!" Trying to get our attention. I turned to both of them and put my finger to my mouth.

"I love you." Greg whispered out loud to them. "But, use your inside voice."

They went quiet.

I smiled back at Greg and nodded, then turned back towards the altar. I'm sure it was strange to our guests to have small children interrupt a wedding. There just weren't small vampire children in the majority of the sects.

My bridesmaid was Maeve Collins, an Irish vampire I had known since I was thirty. We drifted in and out of each other's life just like most vampires do. But, we always managed to stay connected.

Caleb soon appeared on the tall altar, approximately three feet higher than us, in his Centurion uniform consisting of a sideways horse hair crest on his shiny helmet, a shirt of mail armor over a leather arming-doublet. His scarlet cloak was made of the finest wool. His chest was full of medals awarded to him from bravery in battle. His solid sword was sheathed on his left side while his dagger sat in a leather sheath on the right. He looked magnificent, a true warrior. I thought that Greg was either going to break ranks and run or start laughing.

At the sight of Caleb in his uniform, Wilson went completely white, his pupils dilated and sweat started beading up on his forehead. He had no clue what was going on. Leaning into House, he whispered, "Professor Burberry?" Of course the acoustics of the temple and the heightened vampire hearing insured that we all heard the question. There was some tittering in the audience.

Greg nodded back.

"Caleb, Caleb, look at my new dress!" Came a cheerful little voice from my darling daughter.

Caleb winked at her as my father pulled her into his lap for safeguarding and a hurried shhhhh.

The ceremony proceeded in Latin. The smell of incense burned throughout the temple and when the response was required, the crowd responded in Latin too. Approximately twenty minutes into the ceremony, Caleb descended to the step just above us on the altar and handed me the jeweled knife of Romania. I slit my wrist and allowed my thick blood to drain into the Chalice of Venezia. I handed the chalice to Greg and extended my hand for his wrist. The look on Jim's face was bewilderment. Greg handed me his sinewy arm and I undid his cuff, rolled it back and held his wrist gently in my left hand while cutting lightly over his wrist with my right hand, enough for his red blood to drain freely into the Chalice. Caleb handed him a sacred cloth to bind the wound.

I held the Chalice up to the sky. "With this, the blood of my life, the blood of my ancestors, the blood of the world, I commit to you my love." Then I drank from the Chalice.

I handed the Chalice to Greg who took it and rolled his eyes. I know he thought it was corny, but he wasn't about to say that in front of scores of vampires. He held the Chalice up to the sky and repeated what I had said, "With this, the blood of my life, the blood of my ancestors, the blood of the world, I commit to you my love." And then he drank, knowing our blood bond was even stronger.

Now that the blood bond ceremony was over, Caleb took the Chalice and put it on the altar. As he did, Greg's wound healed from the benefit of my blood.

In the pure Roman Latin of the Romana Pax, Caleb announced that we were married.

Turning to English he smiled at Greg. "We don't normally call for a kiss, but I think that in this case it would be welcomed. Greg, you may kiss the bride."

Greg turned and bent forward, grabbing around my hooped waist and pulling me into him, kissing me in front of everyone. There was clapping from the crowd and then we turned. As we walked down the aisle, my friends reached out to shake my hand and wish us well. Several thanked Greg for his service to the Order.

"What are they talking about?" Jim asked from behind.

"I'll tell you later."

When we walked through the temple we crossed the vestry to the hall. Caleb had paid for a reception as his gift for us. There was an orchestra and a very large buffet of the most delectable foods, including lobster, scallops, shrimps, filet mignon, clams, truffles, oysters and every exotic vegetable known to man. The dessert table had a cornucopia of luscious delectable treats to satisfy my sweet tooth.

"Can we just slip away somewhere for a few minutes?" Greg asked.

"You're feeling a little randy?" I knew the blood bond would make it difficult for him to handle.

"All I can think of right now is what's between your legs. It's going to make it very difficult in a receiving line if I have a woody."

"Come with me." I grabbed his hand and as we passed my father I whispered in his ear to keep everyone out of the bride's room and to keep Jim occupied. I took Greg up to the celestial library and pushed him back on the edge of the large cherry desk. His legs were stretched out in a 'V' in front of him.

"I can't get out of this damn dress, but I can take the edge off your urges." I reached down and unzipped him. "Just don't get it on my dress."

"Oh!" He shivered as I took his penis out of his trousers. "Well, then you better swallow." He grinned devilishly at me.

I dropped down to my knees and took a position between his legs where I started to jerk him from his flaccid state into a more alert one. It didn't take long. It was time for my mouth to do the work. I licked, sucked and pulled until he took over, pushing my head down while he pumped up and down. Within five minutes he was moaning and jerking like a schoolboy as he came. When it was over he handed me his handkerchief, which I quickly used.

There was an amusement in his eyes that had nothing to do with what had just happened. I wasn't quite sure what was going through his brain.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just bizarre to be getting head from a woman in an 1880 wedding dress with a ten foot bustle. Your dress takes up half the room and that train is almost out the door."

"Zip up and let's get back to the reception line." I put my fists on both hips. "And for the record, I'm your wife, not 'a woman.' Understand?"

"You really think that ceremony counts?"

"This is the blood ceremony and it's more real than any civil or church ceremony. If you break these vows, you don't just go through a nasty divorce, you go through hell. My father will make sure you die a slow agonizing death if you screw this up."

"Wait a minute. What happens if _you_ screw up?"

"I get spanked. Hard."

"That seems a little lopsided."

I laughed at him. "I'm just teasing honey. You just apply to Caleb for a divorce if you find out I've run off with the blood man."

We walked into the hall, took a deep breath and smiled at everyone. I turned and whispered to Greg, "What in the world are we going to do about Jim?"

"I figure we've got to convince him at some point that you're a bloodsucker. Your family is too weird to explain away by any other means."

I sneered at him and then dragged him towards the obvious end of the receiving line. Standing in line, we welcomed the hundreds of vampire and the occasional mortal guest. Occasionally there would be a tiny drop of blood at the corner of a mouth or on a collar which meant that Caleb had set up a donor room somewhere in the temple. I made a note to try and find it so that I could keep Jim from stumbling into it at some point.

We were eventually able to get off our feet for a few minutes after the reception line had come to an end. Greg was knocking back the Oban that Caleb had presented to him just before sitting down. I stuck to champagne. The orchestra struck up a waltz and I draped the string over my wrist to hold up the train and tugged on Greg, who winced but followed me onto the dance floor. In an exaggerated gesture, Greg swept me into his arms and we danced slowly around in a circle. Somewhat surprised that my husband knew how to properly waltz, I threw back my head and giggled at how he could still surprise me.

Narrowing his eyes, he grinned and teased me, "You are one charming little vampire. So this blood bond… no potion this time?"

"No potion darling, you're going to want to be near me and you'll feel my strongest emotions for the rest of your life."

"How is this going to work with us being separated?"

"Well, it's going to be harder on you because of the biological pull, but don't forget that I want to be with you too…blood bond or no blood bond. We're just going to have to suffer."

My father brought Riane out onto the dance floor and danced with her in her ruffled red dress with black lace. She was so proud of her dress and little head dress of feathers that she had paraded around the room for half an hour seeking compliments from all the men in her life including a very adoring Mario. The waltz ended and Greg cut in, standing Riane on his shoes for the next dance so that my father could dance with me.

"I haven't seen you look so happy in a long time." Daddy said into my ear.

"I am Daddy. I'm surrounded by the people I love and who love me. I just wish Sophia …" It was hard to put it into words, the disappointment in her behavior, the sadness at not having her here.

"I know darling. I know." Daddy gave me a hug to comfort me.

"But, I am very, very happy."

"I have to admit, I wasn't happy that you fell in love with a mortal, but Greg's a good father and he's good to you. If not for him, we wouldn't have gotten you back. I hate to admit it, but I like him. I still have issues with him, but then no one is good enough for my daughter."

"Daddy!" I gave him another hug.

"He's got to be her step-dad right? Her mother was considerably older than him when they married right?" Wilson asked as he watched Kiara dance with the man who was introduced to Wilson as Kiara's father.

"Sean?" House asked, taking a bite of the chicken. "Wilson, there's something you need to know, but you aren't going to believe me just yet. These people aren't just a little eccentric or a cult, they really are vampires."

Wilson looked around and shook his head. "House, if Kiara were a vampire, how can she walk around in the sun?"

"Oh, boy. Well, you see, she's a live vampire, a rare vampire."

Wilson gave House a look of annoyance that House knew all too well. "House, we're all having a good time here. Let's just table this nonsense for now. Enjoy the music, the friends, the food. In fact, can you introduce me to that woman there?"

Wilson pointed toward Emily Price, a vampire dressed in Edwardian clothes, meaning she was turned sometime around the turn of the twentieth century. Kiara had pointed her out to House as Caleb's previous girlfriend. Kiara had graciously admitted that Emily was nice, smart and funny, a perfect companion for Caleb. House thought she would probably be a safe bet for Wilson, but since he had never met her, he went over to Caleb and explained the dilemma. Caleb took Wilson over to Emily.

"Emily, this is Dr. James Wilson. He is a world renowned oncologist at Princeton Plainsboro Hospital. I was wondering if you could perhaps look after him for awhile until his duties as best man pull him away?"

"Yes, my lord. I would be happy to show our guest around."

Emily took Wilson by the arm and started to make the rounds. After Kiara returned from the donor room, she and House watched as Wilson started to relax and laugh. Before long, Emily had cajoled Wilson out onto the dance floor dancing to the vampire band that had taken the place of the orchestra. The band, dressed in various periods of costume from when they were turned, including someone who could have doubled for Frank Sinatra, played rock n' roll from the fifties through the eighties. Wilson and Emily did a great swing to several Buddy Holly songs, causing half the room to pause to watch and enjoy their moves.

Caleb had chosen the wedding cake when Kiara, strapped for time, had finally collapsed in tears saying she couldn't be everywhere at once. Assuring her that cake was his forte, he chose one with her in mind, a chocolate fudge cake with a deep fudge filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, Kiara's favorite. Of course, no one consulted House on his preference because he was the mortal and frankly, Caleb didn't care what House's preference was. Nonetheless, House loved the cake. There was no smashing of the cake, probably because House could see that the gown Kiara was wearing was probably worth more than his precious Flying 'V.'

By four in the morning, the crowd started to thin as they made their way home to their coffins. Caleb had arranged for nannies to take care of the babies so that House and Kiara could take advantage of a night by themselves at Caleb's Soho apartment, which also happened to be the site of his infidelity. Kiara kissed the sleeping Riane and tickled the sleepy Jack. before handing her babies to the mortal nanny. The nanny slipped them both into their car seats and Mario drove the precious cargo home.

**Dear Readers:**

**Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I wanted to wish everyone around the world a happy day full of gratitude and love. I hope you all have enough to eat and that you take time to appreciate your family. Caleb, Kiara, Sean, the kids and House all understand the meaning of family in this story which is one of the things I like best about it. Happy Thanksgiving and I want you to know I'm grateful for all my readers! Kim**


	52. Chapter 36 Part II

**Chapter 36 Part II**

**Going to the Chapel**

But, I wasn't thinking about Caleb's infidelity when we piled into the car for the drive to Soho. I was just thinking about a good day's sleep.

When we got to the apartment, I pulled my bustle off right away and then begged Greg to undo my stays, which he did reluctantly, moaning that he was tired and wanted to go straight to bed. It took us fifteen minutes to get me out of the dress. We laughed at the idea that I might never get out of it, but eventually I breathed a sigh of relief as the dress fell to the floor revealing my corset and petticoat.

Greg was perplexed when he saw two more layers of clothing on my body. "My God! Do the layers never end?"

"We were seriously overdressed back then and it was a bloody nuisance getting ready. We took hours and I do mean hours!"

"No wonder they were celibate before marriage."

"Let's go to bed, I'm tired." I went over and pulled the room darkening curtains.

"Where does Caleb sleep when he's here?" Greg asked.

"There are two closets…that one there is completely windowless and has a lock. It can accommodate two caskets."

Greg grabbed the bed linens to pull them back. "Well Mrs. House, I think it's time for us to go to sleep so that when we wake up we can make wild and passionate love."

"Yes, Dr. House, that sounds like a plan."

We crawled into the pillow top matrimonial bed and within minutes we were wrapped in each other's arms and dead asleep. Mrs. House was very content.

The first thing I felt were his lips on my neck and his hand cuddling my breast.

"You smell so good." He took a good whiff. "I like waking up next to you, you're so cuddly."

I turned around to face him. "Do you have any rubbers?"

"I managed to put a couple in my wallet." Greg reached behind and grabbed the wallet on his night stand. Pulling the package from it, he held it up with a smile.

I laughed. "I don't remember the last time I used a rubber during sex!"

"Well, I do. And she was really grateful that I used the double ribbed, extra lubricated with warming gel ones, just like these."

"Honey, I'm just glad you remembered them."

"Does it feel strange doing it here, in Caleb's flat?"

"No, we used to live here until we bought the Kensington townhouse."

"Oh, great. Now I've got an image of you and Caleb screwing in this bed."

"Well, I didn't screw him in this bed…it was forty years ago and he's renovated the flat since then. So does that help? I tell you what, let's get going and then you can replace that image with one of you screwing me in this bed."

"Did you ever have sex in the living room?"

I chuckled. "Yes."

"Bathroom?"

"Yes."

"His coffin room?"

I had to stop and think. "Uh, yeah, we did have sex in his coffin in that room."

"What about the office?"

"No, it was a guest room when I lived here."

"Alright, get your ass up; we're going to the library so I can shag you."

"What? Oh, you can't be serious."

"Dead serious. Come on, we're going to the library where I'm going to throw you on the desk and have my way."

"No! I'm not going anywhere. If you want sex, we do it here."

He jumped out of bed, pulled my arm and threw me over his shoulder. I started kicking and pounding on his back. He slapped me across the ass. "Stop that! I'm going to have to punish you. You're being a bad, bad girl."

"Greg, take me back to the room!"

The door to the office was thrown open and he whipped around, saw the desk and took me over to it. He put me down on the edge of the desk and then sat in the rolling chair next to it.

"Lean back on your elbows."

"Why?"

He said nothing, but wiggled his tongue to demonstrate what he planned to do. I thought about it and decided that I could either put up a fit or I could enjoy some cunninglus. I was magnanimous and leaned back on my elbows. He rolled back a little and then leaned down at just the right angle. At first his beard scratched my inner thigh, but then his tongue separated my lips and touched my clit. He tortured me with his slow deliberate strokes, until I grabbed his head and pushed into it. Speeding up, I could feel everything engorge—my clit, my vagina, my womb as his lips and tongue grazed across me in ways that tortured me into a frenzy. There was such a heavy, tingly feeling, from his wet, flat strokes that I was about to explode.

"Faster."

"You want faster?"

"Yes, damn it! Faster."

"No, I don't think so." He taunted.

"Greg!"

"Okay, but only because we're married. I figure I have to keep you happy now or face your vampire friends."

"Shut up and suck or lick."

"Yes, master."

He licked faster, his tongue slightly dry now causing more friction.

"Oh, Jesus, Joseph and Mary! I'm coming. _Yes, yes, yes!" _My entire body twitched, my thighs clenched, my toes curled and my nipples hardened. My entire body was his.

He pulled his face up and laughed at me. "Your turn."

I looked down at his lap and saw the gorgeous pinkish purple erection that he was now inviting me to mount. I stepped down onto the floor and dressed him in the rubber. He lifted me up and then slowly eased me down onto his thick shaft. His mouth dropped open and his blues eyes closed in anticipation of the pleasure he was now feeling. I grabbed onto his shoulders, my toes barely touched the floor on each side. I rose up on my toes and then relaxed, allowing my body to bob up and down on his erection. His hands were wrapped under my ribs, helping me push up and then down in a perfect rhythm. His shoulder contracted as he lifted me up and then relaxed as I came down. Before long, he had taken control of the movement, moving me like an inanimate object up and down on his penis until he cried out and stopped, ejaculating as I clamped down with my vagina, milking his ejaculation until he was done.

His arms encircled me and he pulled me into his chest, burying his head into my neck. "I love you."

"I love you too, Greg."

We held each other for another few minutes as his organ wilted inside of me. I could no longer keep him inside.

"Let's get cleaned up and go out for breakfast." Greg said.

"That sounds great. I'll just—"

The phone rang. I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Kiara, it's Dad."

"Daddy? You sound upset, what's wrong?"

"It's Riane—"

"Oh, God. Did they kidnap her?"

Greg jumped up and came over, his eyes wide, brow wrinkled.

"No, but she has a fever."

"_What?"_

"Caleb has drawn blood and wants you to take it into St. Bart's to see what she has. He thinks it's a strep infection."

Greg stared at me. "What? What is it?"

"Riane has an infection!"

He seemed to relax. "Kids get infections."

"Vampires don't." I said to Greg. "Daddy, how high is her temperature?"

"100 Farenheit."

I turned to Greg, "100. Is she at home?"

"Yes, we need you two to get home as soon as possible. I'm calling from the cellar. I should be in my coffin, asleep. But, I have her down here with me. She'll be in my coffin with me. Jack is upstairs with his security guards."

"We're on our way."

I packed up what I could and we drove quickly back to Kensington. Greg and I rushed down to the cellar. I entered my father's room and opened the coffin. Riane was laying in the crook of his arm, her head on his chest, asleep.

"She can sleep in a coffin?" Greg asked with an incredulous tone.

"Sure. I often slept in his coffin with him when I was frightened or lonely."

"Didn't sleeping in a coffin frighten you more?"

"No. Why should it?"

"Would you two take them upstairs? I need to sleep." My father said, from the satin lined casket. He opened his eyes slightly and looked down at a sleeping Riane lying half on his chest, half off to his side, her hand firmly clenched onto his pajama shirt. They looked so natural together. It reminded me of the days that I got to sleep with Daddy and how safe I felt in his little cocoon.

"Yes, Daddy. Thanks for watching her."

I grabbed Riane and handed her to Greg as I kissed my father on the cheek and closed his coffin. We took her upstairs and grabbed Jack on our way up to the second floor. I put Riane in my bed and then took her temperature. It was still 100.

"I'm sure Caleb put her blood sample is in the refrigerator. Can you watch her while I take it in and run it?"

"Sure."

I found the blood and a note from Caleb stating that he had already started her on liquid Amoxicillin. I put the blood in my pocket and took the note up to Greg so that he would know when to give her the next dose.

I talked the lab into letting me do the tests. Since I had once worked there and Caleb was still a consultant, they had a soft spot for me. I ran the test and confirmed strep. I called and told Greg.

"Her fever is already coming down." He reassured me.

I felt a huge rush of relief. "That's great news."

By the time I got home, Riane was responding well to the antibiotics. She was cranky, having driven Greg to the point of taking his own time out, but at least she was alert and eating.

That night, both Daddy and Caleb were excited to hear she was doing well.

"I guess that just goes to prove that she's her father's daughter. She can get sick."

Caleb nodded. "What about Jack? I wonder if he's susceptible?"

We all shrugged in unison. Jack was awake and happily playing with his Fischer Price farm set. I picked him up and hugged him, kissing his chubby cheek and tickling him. He was so much like me in many ways that I identified with him more than I did Riane, if nothing more than the fact we were on the same Circadian Clock. Obviously, I didn't love Riane any less than my son; I just understood him better.

Within a day, Riane was bright and perky and playing with her brother who tried to sleep as she prodded him. Despite getting ill, she obviously had a very strong immune system. Greg suggested that we resume our honeymoon in Soho for a few days. I agreed and we packed our bags to take over to the studio the next day, but that night our plans changed. It was four in the morning and we were fast asleep, Riane in bed with us and Jack with Caleb downstairs. My father had gone home earlier that night.

The light went on next to my bed. "Kiara? Wake up."

I managed to come up out of my sleep and open my eyes. Caleb, holding Jack, was standing over me. "What? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, I'm afraid we've had some intelligence that Tobias plans to make a move on this house tomorrow, during the day. We need to move you and the children back to your safe place."

I sat up, "Oh, God, no. Caleb, I'm married. I want to be with my husband."

"Darling, I understand, but the safety of your children comes first, right?"

I grimaced. "Yes, of course."

"We need to move you _now_."

By now, Greg was awake and up on his elbows. "Where are they going?"

"We can't tell you Greg. If they capture and mesmerize you, they'll find out."

"I'll go with them." Greg announced.

"Fine, but it could be months, years, before you can leave the area."

I looked over at him. "Greg, you'd die of boredom. It's a very slow way of life. Very slow. There's nothing to do there that will stimulate that brain of yours. There's not even a movie theater in the area."

House had to admit that it sounded bleak. "How do you cope?" He asked me.

"I spend time with the children, I've been researching online, I take long, long walks."

He sighed and finally saw that I was right. "Alright, fine. I'll stay here."

"No, I'm moving you to my Soho condo. It's easier to protect, better security system all over. So pack your things too."

Caleb took me out to the hall and slipped his arms around, holding me tight to his chest. His desperate gesture frightened me, it seemed unusually frantic for Caleb. I clung onto him. "Caleb, I'll be fine."

"I hope so. I don't know what else to do. This is the most logical place to send you, but I want you to be on your toes. Be very careful, Acushula, very careful."

"I will, I will." I hugged him hard and then stepped back, but he had a hard time letting go. "Caleb, I need to pack."

He released me, nodding and slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm acting like an old lady. I'm going to go in and say goodbye to the children."

I kissed him on the cheek and went back into the bedroom only to find Greg snoring again. Within an hour, we stood in the foyer saying our goodbyes. Greg hugged Riane and Jack, kissed them both and told them to behave. He gave me a look of total frustration, hugged me and kissed me on the lips. Where Caleb was nervous, Greg was just frustrated.

"I love you." I said softly.

"I know. This still sucks."

"I know. I'm glad to hear that you're going to miss me," I cajoled.

"Who says I'm going to miss you—much."

"I'm going to miss you desperately."

"Well, Mrs. House, how am I going to survive this blood bond without you?"

"You will. We'll be close enough. It might be uncomfortable, but not unbearable."

"So I get London and you get—"

"A very lonely place. Goodbye Greg. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

The dawn had arrived as we climbed into a car and took off, exchanging cars several times along our way to the airport. When we taxied and went airbound, we went first to Dublin and then a car pretended to pick us up from the private hangar while we remained aboard, taking off again for Scotland. By the time we got to the castle, everyone was cranky, including myself.

I put Riane to bed and let Jack stay up for a few hours with Michael and his vampire wife, Cassandra. I took a shower without unpacking, dried off, got into my gown and walked into my bedroom and crawled into the comfortable bed with the goose down comforter. I fell into one of those deep, deep sleeps that come after days of too much excitement.


	53. Chapter 36 Part III

**Chapter 36 Part III**

**Going to the Chapel**

The next few days I spent unwinding and Donloch was the perfect place to unwind. My days were spent taking care of the kids and walking on the gray granite cliffs and rocky beach, letting the cold air blow through me. It didn't take long for me to miss Greg. I broke down on the fifth night and called Caleb.

"Can't you arrange a phone call?"

"Damn it, Kiara, you can't call this number. It can be traced." His voice was tight and angry.

"I need to talk to Greg."

"Why, is something wrong?"

"Yes, _I'm miles away from my husband!_"

There was a click. He'd hung up on me! I must have really pissed him off, but now he had pissed me off. I threw the phone across the salon at the couch. It landed and bounced without breaking. I heard Jack cry to be let out of his cot, so I stormed up the stairs. Just as I passed my room, I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye. I stopped, a chill running through me. "Michael?" I called out.

Michael came, but he was at the bottom of the landing. "Yes, Princess?"

My heart leaped. Who was in my bedroom?

I spoke, but while I was speaking to Michael I gave him hand signals. "I just wanted to let you know I'll need the car in the morning."

He nodded at my instructions, understanding what I was telling him and then answered, "Of course, what time?"

"Three in the afternoon."

"Fine. Good night, Princess."

Jack was still fussing, but I had to ignore him. I swallowed hard as I walked across the stone floor into my bedroom, noticing from the corner of my eye that Michael was creeping up the stairs. I closed the door behind me which revealed the chair in the corner of my room and a shadowy figure sitting in it. Turning on my light I braced myself, but I wasn't ready for what I saw.

"Valdimir?" I stumbled a little. "What are you doing here?"

Vlad smiled sardonically at me and uncrossed his long legs. There was no doubt that he was handsome. He had dark, chestnut hair that framed his masculine face with its square chin and deep brown eyes. "I'm here for you Princess."

"Me? How did you find me?" I tried not to shake in my boots, but I could feel my knee giving way. I was so frightened I could feel my mouth go dry.

"When Isadora and I fled from _your father_, she brought me here. Apparently, Caleb used to bring her up here all the time when they were together."

I could feel the blood leaving my brain, I felt light-headed. "What do you want?"

"I'm taking you to Tobias. He's going to give me a kingship once we take out Caleb and Sean. You're the bait."

"Me?"

He smirked. "They'll come to rescue you and we'll be waiting."

"What makes you think that I'll go with you?"

"Don't make me laugh. You're a live vampire; you're not as strong as a _real _vampire. But, just to make it easier on both of us, I brought this." He pulled out a 357 Ruger. "It has silver bullets. I'm going to pop one in your knee to keep you from running and then remove it when we get to our destination."

I gasped. "I'll bleed out."

"I don't really care. Tobias wants you alive, but I just want _you_."

Backing towards the door, I was unsure of what I was going to do. I turned to grab the knob, but because of his speed he was already there blocking the door. He put the gun to my head and smiled that smile again.

"Take that top off." He said, using the nose of the gun to push back the collar, exposing my breastbone."

"Don't do this, please."

He laughed. "These are the spoils of war, Kiara. You don't know how much I've looked forward to this. I not only have the pleasure of screwing the great and fertile Princess Kiara, but as a result I also torture the great Kings, Caleb and Sean. Imagine the looks on their faces when they find out that I took their precious Princess by force.

"No, please, you know that they'll decapitate you if you do this."

"Only if Tobias loses."

"But he's lost most of his support."

"But, not all of it and we have you. If we manage to kill Caleb and Sean, then Tobias can gain control back." He smiled. "Now Kiara, strip."

"No, I won't do it."

He slammed the gun across my head and as I slipped to the floor, he threw my body onto the bed. When I came to, he was ripping my top and bra off. I started flailing and my retractiles slipped down reflexively. His came down too, out of lust, but he didn't bite my neck. He pushed my head to the side and sunk his retractiles deep into the flesh of my breast without releasing the narcotic. The pain was excrutiating, like molten knives in my breast.

The gun was aimed at my head and he jammed it a couple of times against my temple to get my attention. Although Tobias wanted me alive, Vladimir just wanted his revenge against my father and Caleb. If I died in this struggle, he wouldn't really care. I went still as he instructed me to take my pants off. I did as he told me, knowing that the gun was only inches from my brain.

Climbing over me, he grabbed me by the hair. "You've got lovely breasts; I can understand why Caleb wants you. Did Daddy ever diddle you? We all know how close the two of you are. Is that why? And this mortal of yours. How could you marry a mortal who can't even bite you during sex?" He laughed. "That's pitiful."

He undid his pants and kneed my legs apart. The feel of him penetrating me made me nauseated. I thought I was going to throw up all over him. Pinned down and with a gun at my head, there was nothing I could do. I felt the contents of my stomach rise over and over into my throat, but I never actually vomited. I knew I had to keep my wits if I was going to protect the children. Hopefully, Michael had already moved them.

He grunted and stabbed, hard and fast. Bringing his lips to my ear, he whispered, "Bite me."

"Never."

He lifted up and hit me across the mouth several times, his anger giving him the excitement that he wanted from a bite. As the blood trickled down my throat from the cuts in my lips, I managed to spit in his face.

Eyes blazing and a face covered in spattered blood, I watched as his fist came down squarely on my jaw, shattering it. The pain shot through the nerves in my ear up to my brain like a shiv being driven through my head. I passed out just as he started to come inside me. The black was overtaking me as he screamed out in ecstasy.

Pain woke me, a throbbing so terrible that I started to pass out again.

"No, no, no, don't you dare pass out you slut." I heard him scream.

The water hit my face and I came up sputtering, blood pouring out of my mouth. I grabbed my jaw, the pain still making me dizzy. I looked up and he was laughing at me. Scanning my naked body, I saw that he had been beating on me, my entire body was purple and blue from my neck down to my thighs. I had been his punching bag.

"Get up. We're going to go. But, first I have to kill those brats of yours."

"No! You…(slurp)…have…meh." I could barely talk, my jaw was still shattered.

"Yeah, well Tobias wants me to decapitate the brats to send a message to the IOV."

I shook my head, refusing to get up, doing anything I could think of to stall.

"I don't give a shite what you want. Do you want to stay in here while I go find them? Or do you want to spend their last moments with them? I can tie you up or you can come with me and watch their little heads roll around on the floor when I'm done."

I started flailing and scractching. He took the gun and shot me in the knee cap.

There was a blinding white light full of searing pain. I screamed and passed out only to come to after more water being poured on my face.

"_Where are they?"_ He started slapping me back and forth. "Where are the brats?"

Opening my eyes, I saw the rage in his face. I smiled. "I don't really know." Which was the truth. Michael would have taken them through the maze of tunnels to somewhere he trusted. Since I had no clue where the tunnels led, I had no idea where my children were.

"Bitch! I should kill you now." Vlad's jaw was clenched, his rage barely kept under control.

"That's fine with me. Now that I know my children are safe, I could care less."

He grabbed me and tried to make me stand, but my shattered knee prevented it. I fell to the ground and rolled over. His foot came down on my jaw. I knew I couldn't take much more. The pain wracking my body was too much and I would soon go into shock. I passed out for the last time.

"_You've got to tell me where she's at! She's in pain, horrible, horrible pain. I feel her getting weaker every single minute!"_ House was livid. The collar of Caleb's shirt was in his fist as he pinned Caleb against the wall.

Caleb could have flicked his hand and House would have gone flying against the wall, but he didn't. He was as upset as House and couldn't blame him for wanting to take it out on him. After all, Caleb had failed to protect his wife.

"Greg, I don't know. Michael said he went back to get her, but they were gone. The children are safe, but …" Caleb took a deep breath. "I'm flying up to Scotland to survey the situation. You should come with me."

House was shaking. "Don't you get it? I can feel her. She's scared, she's in pain—she's in a lot of pain. Who did this?"

"We believe it's a vampire named Vladimir. He's a rogue vampire, his own mercenary. He has a long history with Sean and myself."

"_Caleb, we have to do something." _House screamed in frustration.

Caleb nodded. "Yes, you're right. But, we can't do it here."

House let go of his collar. "Let's go get my kids."

Caleb nodded. "Yes, let's get them. We'll leave this evening."

When they arrived in Scotland, Caleb and Greg were immediately taken by Michael to a tiny village south of Donloch. Inside a white stone cottage they found the children. Jack was napping in the middle of a small bed in the back bedroom of the house and Riane was playing in the kitchen with a little girl from the village.

Michael sighed when he heard that the children were safe and sound. "She gave me the signal to get the children to safety. I didn't know how many vampires were on the grounds, so I did what she said. By the time I got back, they were all gone. But, she must have put up a fight…her room." His voice grew low. "You'll know when you see her room. I should have stayed. I should have stayed and helped her."

Caleb shook his head. "Getting these children to safety was the most important thing for you to do. They want Kiara alive because they know we'll come for her. The children were unnecessary and killing them would prove to us how serious they were. These children would most likely be dead if not for you, Michael."

House picked Jack up from the bed and hugged him, kissing him on his forehead and watching as he opened his eyes. Caleb looked visibly relieved when he saw that Jack was healthy and safe. House handed Jack to Caleb, who admired the boy and then put him back down to finish his nap. House walked into the kitchen, House smiling down at his daughter who was apparently serving tea to another little girl and two dolls.

"Riane, sweetheart."

Riane stopped, glanced up and ran as fast as she could. "Daddy! Daddy! Where's Mummy?" She jumped into House's arms.

"Honey, Mommy had to go away and she told me to tell you she loves you."

"Caleb!" Riane leaned out of House's arms towards Caleb to be held. He took her and kissed her, hugging her tight.

"Riane, your Grandfather should be here soon. He's going to take you with him for a few days."

"Will Mommy be there?"

"Mommy will join you later."

Riane leaned out of Caleb's arms back towards House. He smiled and took her again, allowing her to hold onto him tightly.

Michael, standing with his fists on his hips, told the two men, "When Jack wakes he'll be ready for his next meal soon." By next meal, Caleb understood that Jack needed blood.

Caleb nodded. "We're going to leave them here for now. King Larkin will pick them up and take them to Ireland. Michael, prepare bags for them and have them ready."

House shook his head and growled, "I want them with me."

"Greg, if you're going with me you don't want your children joining us. They'll just be targets."

"What do you mean?"

"I intend to go after Kiara myself." His voice was shattered, as if it were coming from desperation.

House looked at Caleb and saw how distraught he was. Caleb was ready to march into hell to get Kiara back. "But, I thought that's what they want. They want _you_ to come after her."

"Yes, it's a trap, but we won't get her back unless I go."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Fine. But you need to realize that you'll be fighting vampires. Your only protection will be silver bullets, a cross bow and my assistance."

"I'm ready to go get my wife. But, where is she?"

Caleb shrugged. "I don't really know. We're scouring the world for her."

"I could feel her when we were in London earlier. I'm having a harder time here…I have this need, the desire, to go south. Does that help?"

"Yes, it helps quite a bit. Perhaps we can use you as a divining rod."

"Great. I'm ready." House said with a resolve that Caleb admired.

"Well. Not much that we can do here. Let's go back to the castle and talk to the troops that will be going with us, they should be there by now."

"I want the kids to be with me tonight."

"Well, I was hoping to leave them here, but I understand. Michael, we'll take them to the castle. Lord Larkin will pick them up there."

Michael nodded."I'll keep them safe."

Upon arrival at the castle, House and Caleb made their way up to the bedroom to see if there were any clues about where Kiara had been taken. When the door opened, Caleb had to look away.

House gave out a guttural sound of anger. "Oh, mother fucker! What did he do to her?"

Caleb swallowed hard and looked back. There was blood spattered and pooled everywhere around the room. The duvet on the bed was saturated in the deep wine of dried blood and the wood floor had a large dark stain that could only be her blood.

House yelled in frustration at Caleb, "Does he know that if she loses too much blood she'll bleed out? She doesn't heal as fast as a dead vampire."

Caleb went to the bed and put his hand on the stain. "Why the bed?" Caleb turned to House, unable to fathom what had happened.

House knocked a vase onto the floor in sheer rage. "Do you think he…he raped her?"

Caleb's eyes flashed. He hadn't been able to shape in his mind around the idea that she had been raped. "It's possible. It's quite possible. He knows how much that would disturb Sean and I."

"What about me?"

"He doesn't care anything about you or your feelings, Greg. You're just dinner to someone like Vladimir. Come on, I can't stay in here. I'll get Ann to clean it up."

Downstairs there were two dozen men and women waiting, all vampires ready to do Caleb's bidding. House recognized Mario and several of the security force from Princeton.

"We don't know where she is, but we'll know soon. We know that she's at a latitude lower than this. I suspect that she's in Turkey, Romania or possibly Italy."

House jumped up. "Italy?"

"We know that Sophia voted with Tobias. She knows that she will be in trouble when this war is over. It's possible that she's joined forces with him, you can never tell."

"I'll kill her!" House screamed.

"Greg, calm down. We don't know for sure and, besides, Sophia is a queen. You need to respect her position until we know more."

House looked around and saw the faces in the crowd, their shock at his outburst. He looked down at his Nikes and nodded an acknowledgement just as Riane came running through the door into Mario's arms.

"Pickles!" He smothered her with kisses to the oohs and ahs of the other vampires.

She tried to show Mario her doll, but soon became aware that several strangers were staring at her. She grew shy and ran to her father, hanging onto his legs and rubbing her face on his pants. House picked her up and cuddled her while Caleb continued to brief them on the plans, what little there were.

"That's it until we know more, I'm afraid the plan is for you to fly to London and wait for our instructions."

House watched the vampires disperse. He grabbed Jack and sat on the floor in the salon playing with him and a sleepy Riane, who was up way past her usual bedtime. Before long, Riane was curled up in Caleb's lap asleep.

House watched Jack try to maneuver around the furniture, latching onto the sofa fabric, pulling himself up and walking quickly until he came to a large gap between furniture. Normally he would drop to all fours and cross the gap, but House held out his arms and coaxed him, "Come on. You can walk to me. What have you got to lose? You've got a big diapered butt to land on."

Jack, looking very serious took three tentative steps towards House and then fell onto his backside, surprised by the bounce.

"Well done, Jack! Well done!" Caleb called out.

Jack turned and quizzically looked at Caleb, seemingly perplexed as to whether it was the walking or falling on his bet which had elicited the response.

House picked Jack up and threw him in the air. "Awesome dude! You'll soon have walking mastered and then you can learn how to run away from your parents!" He gave Jack a big kiss and hug. Jack smiled.

Caleb looked at House and simply said. "I envy you."

"I know."

**Dear Readers---please let me know if you are enjoying the story. I want to give a shout out to the readers in Belgium, Spain, Israel, Czech Revar, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Brazil and all the other readers. It's really exciting to know that you are reading the story. I also appreciate my home grown readers as well as the UK and Irish readers too. All of you make my day. **


	54. Chapter 37 Part I

**Chapter 37 Part I**

**Il Dolore e Le Risate**

"I'm going to have to give her some of my blood. How can you condone what he did to her? He beat her unmercifully and then shot her!"

Tobias sat back in the chair and looked out at the lake. "Sophia, you have to get used to the idea that we will have to kill Kiara, Caleb and Sean in order for us to all get what we want."

"_We want? I don't want this! _I don't condone it. Tobias, I want you all to leave. I want that poor excuse for a vampire in there—" She nodded towards the library where Vladimir was watching television, "Out of my territory. I didn't ask for this."

"No, Sophia, you were just too weak to say no, too afraid that we'd disrupt the balance you've established here, so you voted with me on the Council. No one held a silver bullet to your head, you're just weak." Tobias stood up and walked over to the edge of the pool, then turned and dropped his robe before shaking his head. "Frankly, Sophia, you need to take back the control in your territory--frighten these villagers a little-- remind them that you can make their lives a living and deadly hell if you choose. You'll get total submission that way."

"I get total cooperation this way. I don't need their submission. I voted with you on the board because you promised that you would leave my mortals alone; that you would stay away. And now, here you are, threatening to kill the most beloved king on Earth, the newly anointed emperor, not to mention Sean and Kiara. I never agreed to this. I want you and your mercenaries out."

Tobias laughed heartily. "You really think I care about your mortals or what you want? This is my last chance. If I lose here, I'm done. I'll never have a following again. They'll probably decapitate me to send out a message to others."

"I don't care. If they find you or Kiara here, they'll kill me along with you. You have to leave."

Tobias stepped down into the warm water of the pool and dunked his head. Coming up, he smiled at Sophia. "Oh, now come on Sophia! My soldiers like it here. We love the hospitality and the fresh blood."

"My mortals are angry over the four women found dead last week. They're about to revolt. I want you out of Southern Italy!"

"Or what? You'll sic your mortals on us? You've got such a cushy set up that you didn't bother to establish an army. There's no one to protect you or to do your bidding. Essentially, you're all bluster my dear."

Sophia clenched her jaw and stomped out in frustration. The truth of what he said wasn't lost on her. She made her way up to the bedroom where Kiara was being held with silver chains around the bedposts. She inspected the chains and saw that they were burning Kiara's wrists from their constant contact.

"Kiara?" She called out to her, but Kiara didn't move.

Sophia, put her fingers on her pulse but could barely feel it. There was no doubt in her mind that Kiara was suffering from internal bleeding and not healing fast enough. Her condition appeared to be getting worse. Kiara was much paler than when she first saw her earlier that evening. Sophia had been tormented from the minute she saw Kiara, delivered like groceries in a large canvas bag in the middle of her salon. Vladimir had thrown the bag down at the feet of Tobias with a smirk.

"She resisted. I got a little rough…well, more than a little rough. Have to admit, despite having kids, she's got a nice tight—"

"Oh, please tell me that you didn't rape her?" Sophia started clawing at the rope to open the bag.

"I could tell you that, but I'd be lying." He said laughing. Walking past Sophia, he went straight to the whiskey on the cart and poured himself a tall one.

"Ahhhh!" Sophia let out a scream as she undid the bag and peaked in at Kiara. "There's so much blood! She's been beaten to a pulp! What did you do to her? You beast! Don't you have any compassion for a fellow vampire?"

"She's not a fellow vampire; she's like one of those cars…a hybrid."

Tobias looked in the bag, grimaced and looked away. He called over one of his guards. "Get her upstairs and out of the bag."

Sophia turned and screamed at Vladimir. "What did you do to her?"

"Christ, I had to rough her up a little with the butt of the gun and then I shot her knee cap." Vladimir said in a tone that reeked of tediousness.

"_She's bleeding!" _Sophia screamed, trying to get them to understand.

"Like you said, she's a vampire. Once you get the silver out of her knee she'll heal."

"But Kiara doesn't heal as fast as we do. She can die from the internal bleeding as well as the bullet. You should have removed the bullet immediately."

Vladimir gave her a staged look of contriteness, "Oh, my bad. Sorry. Does it matter? Whether she's alive or dead, they'll come after her. Isn't that what we all want?"

"I want Kiara to live. I've known her since she was born; she's a good person. I love her like a sister."

Vladimir stood and poured himself another drink. "With a sister like you, who needs enemies?"

"I never wanted this! This is none of my doing!" Sophia ran to the staircase, ascending to take care of Kiara. Turning she screamed, her veins bulging, her eyes red, "You are both monsters and I want nothing to do with you!"

"Too late luv, we're all yours until Caleb and Sean come to the rescue." Tobias said, laughing at her.

Sophia worried that Kiara would die in her territory and there would be no convincing Caleb or Sean that she had nothing to do with it. Sophia had a chance of living if she could explain to them what had happened, but that chance would be nil if Kiara died.

"Kiara, I'm giving you my blood darling. You must drink lots of it." Sophia cut her wrist and forced it inside of Kiara's mouth. The blood started to drain into Kiara's mouth.

There was a shadow at the bedroom door. "What are you doing?" Tobias barked.

"I'm saving her life!"

Tobias crossed the room and pulled her wrist out of Kiara's mouth. "I don't want her getting better. I need her to look close to death. I want them to suffer when they see her."

"She'll be dead if she doesn't get some of our blood."

"And I should care?" Tobias joked.

"She's my friend."

"I don't give a damn. I'll kill her before I let them have her back." Tobias shook his head and frowned, his dark eyes piercing through the dimly lit room. "You're too sentimental, Sophia. You've given her enough blood. Give her anymore and I'll let Vladimir go on one of his hunting sprees."

"Get out!" Sophia yelled her mouth tight with anger. As soon as Tobias left, Sophia crossed to the desk and pulled out the sharp dagger she used as a letter opener. She bit Kiara in the neck to deliver some pain relief. Propping her knee up on a book, Sophia then removed the chains and began the process of digging into Kiara's knee. Kiara's torso lifted up in agony despite the pain reliever. Screaming, Kiara tried to focus on Sophia, but passed out again. Sophia found the bullet and pulled it out throwing onto the table.

Sophia mopped Kiara's forehead, removed the blood soaked clothes, washed her black and blue body, then dressed her in a pair of pajamas, but Kiara was so bruised and battered, the grooming did little to improve her looks. Sophia was praying that what little blood she had managed to force into Kiara's mouth would be enough to help her heal.

"Kiara, I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry." Sophia whispered, tears streaming down onto the duvet as she stroked Kiara's hair.

But there was no response.

After a quick trip to Istanbul, House alerted Caleb that Kiara was further south, confirming to the kings that Kiara was in Southern Italy. They flew into Rome rather than Naples to avoid alerting Sophia or her mortals, any of whom would be more than happy to let Sophia know that Caleb had arrived. House took the passenger seat in the first of the large trucks hauling the eighteen caskets in the back of the semi-trailer. There was another truck behind them with another eighteen caskets, all full of vampires with various talents in the art of war.

House was in charge of making sure the Italian drivers drove directly to Sean's villa at Bagnoli Irpino. They were moving by day to prevent Tobias's vampires from doing anything until they could get settled. House was fairly sure he could convince Sophia's mortals to assist them in their fight, especially after word had leaked to Caleb that there were dead bodies mounting up in Sophia's province by the dozens. Carlo Bocelli, the King of Northern Italy, had promised another three dozen vampires to assist Caleb and Sean, who were now fast asleep in the back of House's truck.

It had been four days since the kidnapping and House was afraid that it was too late, but Caleb assured him that he would have heard if Kiara was dead and, more importantly, House would feel it. As they drove towards Casserta, House felt her presence getting stronger. He could feel her pain and how disoriented she was. Something was wrong, he could feel that she wasn't healing, but she wasn't getting worse either. She was, at best, stable.

When they rumbled through Casserta, they started east, towards the Piscine Mountains and Bagnoli Irpino. House knew that they were now in Sophia's territory and it worried him. Her mortals were loyal to her and were likely to warn her that they were close by. His heart started to pound as he saw the signs for the town of Bagnoli Irpino.

The town was quiet and those mortals milling around gave them looks of suspicion. House realized that he needed to act quickly. He parked the trucks around the town square and went in search of the polizia, specifically the chief that had cleaned up Kiara's mess. It didn't take long to discover that he was at home, readying for his shift.

Knocking on the door of the Sheriff's bungalow, House waited until it was answered by a thin, middle aged woman with pretty eyes and a nice smile.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The woman asked.

"May I speak to your husband?"

The sheriff didn't wait for his wife, he opened the door further and stared into House's eyes, "I remember you. You were with the Princess. What do you want?"

"Are you aware that the Princess has been kidnapped and is now being held in your town?"

The man narrowed his deep set eyes, "I am not admitting anything, but if she were being held, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't think Sophia is part of this. I think she's being used. I know you've had some murders recently and we both know that they were from vampires. Sophia would never allow that to happen if she were in control. That means that Sophia is as much a victim as Princess Kiara. Now—" House nodded towards the trucks in the square, "We're about to take down these monsters and get Kiara back. That means that we can help Sophia too. All we want is that you not tell Sophia that we're here. If you do, the vampires in control will find out."

"You'll never get past the security at the front of her villa. They've got crossbows everywhere and guns with silver ammunition. You may have more soldiers, but they have the advantage of being entrenched."

"So Sophia is in trouble."

"I'm not saying one way or the other."

"If she wasn't, you wouldn't be having this conversation."

He raised an eyebrow and then frowned in resignation. "We're not sure. We suspect that she is in trouble, but we haven't been able to get near enough to ask her. All mortals inside the villa are kept away from her. They keep her segregated along with your wife."

"They?"

"A king named Tobias."

House nodded. "Yes, he's the one who ordered Kiara captured."

"What's your stake in this?"

"Kiara is my wife and the mother of my two children."

The man laughed. "She's a vampire, they don't have children."

"She's a very rare kind of vampire that is alive. She can have children." House produced a photo of Kiara standing behind a sitting Riane with Jack sitting between Riane's legs, her arms encircling her little brother. They looked comfortable and happy together. "These are our kids."

The man was dumbfounded, staring at the photo as if it had been photo-shopped. "I didn't know." He took a deep breath. "I've heard that she's not doing well. The vampire who kidnapped her also beat, shot and raped her. According to the local vampire who came in to get provisions, she is barely hanging on. I'm very sorry. I have always liked Princess Kiara. She's been very good to us."

House felt like he had been hit with a hammer. The confirmation of the rape and the beating made his blood boil. "Then help me. Don't tell them we're here. Let us do what we came to do."

The man looked back at his wife who nodded at him. He turned to House, "I'll send word to keep your arrival quiet. But, this is a small village and the lake has many eyes. When your vampires do get up to Bagnoli, I don't know if you can keep it quiet."

"Well, at least we won't be announced; that's a start."

"I take it that you're going to make your move tonight."

House said nothing.

"If you don't, they'll know by tonight that you're here. They'll be even more entrenched."

House shook his head. "We aren't going to have the element of surprise because they know we're coming anyway. We just want this afternoon and this evening to get organized before they _attack us."_

"I never thought of that, but it would make sense. What do you Americans say?"

House smiled, "The best defense is a good offense."

"Yes, I believe that's it."

House left the cottage and the small caravan drove the rest of the way to the villa. Opening the gates to the drive of Sean's villa, House and the driver were surprised to see several mortals standing in the drive with guns and crossbows over their shoulders. House felt queasy, wondering if they had just driven into an ambush.

Getting out of the truck, House stood and watched as a short man with a macho swagger walked over to speak with him. House felt some comfort know that he had his automatic stuck in his belt in the back.

Meeting the guy half way, House asked, "Hello? What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here because Sheriff Vitoli told us that you were here to rescue our Queen from these men. We're here to help."

House relaxed. "Really? How do I know that you're not working for them?"

"You'd be dead."

House nodded, "You have a point. Well, make yourself useful and unload the bloodsuckers. We need to get them below ground while the sun shines."

The man whistled and waved his arm for everyone to join him. Within the hour all the caskets were unloaded and safely below ground. House sat and talked to the mortals and learned that there had been even more murders than reported in the area since Tobias, Vladimir and their vampire armies had taken up residence. When the mortals tried to meet with Sophia to complain, they were met by Tobias instead—their first clue that things weren't right. No one in the village could remember Sophia not meeting personally with the villagers when they had a complaint or concern. They wanted Sophia back.

House listened as they each told him tactical advantages that Tobias had and how they might be neutralized. Within minutes of the sun setting, Caleb, Sean and thirty-four vampires appeared on the veranda of the villa. House shared the information that he had absorbed from the villagers. Caleb thanked all of them and promised that if Sophia was alive, she would be returned to them for their assistance. This was quite a promise because House knew both Caleb and Sean were determined to make Sophia suffer for housing Tobias. House cornered Caleb and asked him about Sophia.

Caleb whispered back to House,"I have to assume that she's as much a victim as Kiara. And, more importantly, her people think so. I respect their opinion and the offer of help. I plan to honor my promise. It doesn't mean that she won't be punished."

House took a deep breath. "Well, if I find that Sophia has done anything to cause this or hurt Kiara, I'm not going to be play footsies with her."

Caleb smiled. "I understand."


	55. Chapter 37 Part II

**Chapter 37 Part II**

**Il Dolore e Le Risate**

"We'll put the weapons in a small boat and several of us will traverse the lake in scuba gear. The remainder of you will distract most of their security by attacking from the front." Caleb pointed to a map of the area. "I suspect Kiara is in the back of the villa, close to the lake, since they are probably expecting us to come in through the front with a huge army. I doubt they see the lake as a point of attack. Sean, I think you should join the attack from the front. It will give more credence to the idea that the main assault is coming from there."

Sean nodded. "I agree."

House wondered why Sean would allow Caleb to be the vampire to lead the secret assault from the lake, the assault most likely to get them inside the villa.

Sean saw the look on House's face and understood right away. "Greg, being one of the oldest of vampires in the world means Caleb has strength and powers that only a mature vampire develops over hundreds of years. He has a better chance of being successful than I do and that's what counts. If I can fight and distract them from the front, then that's what I'll do."

House nodded quietly as he contemplated Caleb in action. He wondered what storm they were about to unleash.

House had been a scuba diver since his family had been stationed in Guam for a year. It had been a great diversion for a sixteen year old who was bored with the eight by thirty-six mile island. He felt comfortable with his ability to swim the lake.

Dressing in thin, quick drying black t-shirts and carrying black pants in their pack, the small team waited until eight thirty to begin the swim across the lake. The swim was to be aided by a small motorized propeller that would be handheld by Caleb with a rope attached allowing House to latch on and be pulled behind. The other four men had the same set up. Above them on the surface of the water, House would pull a rope attached to a small two-man Zodiac carrying their dry gear and weapons.

It took them less than fifteen minutes to land just a five minute walk from Sophia's dock. They each quietly took off their scuba gear, ditching it in the Zodiac which they hid behind a stand of rushes. Each of the men dressed in black trousers and then picked up their weapon of choice. House had decided to carry a cross-bow and a small gun with eight silver bullets. Most of the vampires carried guns into the battle. Putting on black ski caps and blackening their faces, each of the assailants turned to the other for an inspection.

Caleb nodded at House to let him know his equipment and dress were ready. House did the same. Crouching over, they started their assault by running south towards Sophia's short wall that separated the lawn from the beach. A minute into their run they heard the beginning of a gun battle coming from the front of the villa. Sean was right on time.

Caleb waved a long thin arm for the team to continue towards the villa, which everyone but House did at vampire speed. House came running up several minutes later after Caleb had already given orders to some of the vampires in the group to fan out and keep watch. The first vampire they discovered was turned towards the noise from the front, giving them ample opportunity to take him from behind. House aimed the crossbow and grinned when it hit its mark, right through the vampire's heart. Caleb gave House the thumbs up and then signaled to one of the accompanying vampires to finish the job. The young, dark eyed vampire took out an ax, severed the head and threw it into the lake. They pulled the body to the side and hid it behind the sandstone wall.

Running in a group to the east wall of the villa, they all looked up towards the second floor. There were several windows belonging to three bedrooms, all lit up. Caleb nodded again to two of the team, pointing up at the two right windows. Caleb, himself whispered to House, "Look out for us while we go up and determine what room she's in."

House was baffled. "How are you—"

Caleb held up a finger to his lips to quiet House. Turning back to the wall, House's mouth dropped in shock as he watched Caleb and the other vampires climb the building like Geckos. They each reached their respective windows, but for some reason, Caleb climbed around the side to the south to look through a second window. In a fraction of a second, he was back on the ground.

"I couldn't see who was in the bed, but Sophia is in the left bedroom along with a guard. I suspect that's where we'll find her." Caleb told the group. He turned to House, "You'll go in with Bartholomew through the patio door downstairs. Daemon and Hollis will go through the empty adjacent bedroom. Yantze and I will go through the window of the bedroom itself. We'll stage ourselves outside the window and wait a few minutes to give you time to get up the stairs. Good luck."

Yantze and Caleb each took a separate window and watched from their perch. Inside they could see the guard pacing. Daemon and Hollis cut holes in the windows and opened them, gaining access to the adjacent bedroom which they passed through to get to the adjoining hall. The guard appeared to hear something in the hall because he walked cautiously towards the door. Yantze watched as Caleb crashed through the south window, crossed the room and with a feral strength literally tore the guard's head from his body in one fell swoop. The sound of muscle and tendon being ripped from his body echoed through the room. Even Yantze was shocked by the power in Caleb's hands.

"Caleb!" Sophia screamed as she jumped back away from him.

Caleb turned and took one look at Kiara, his rage flashing underneath the calm that he normally cultivated. He hadn't expected to find Kiara so battered. Turning to Sophia, his retractiles slipped down reflexively and his eyes narrowed.

Sophia's eyes grew wide as she continued backing away from him holding her hands up. "Caleb, I didn't do this. _I'm being held prisoner too!"_

There was a noise from outside the room and then a flurry of footsteps. Daemon and Hollis threw the door open.

Hollis quickly looked around at the spray of blood all over the ceiling, the walls and the rug and then saw the head on the floor. Taking a deep breath he motioned to the stairs. "I think Bart and House have run into some problems."

Caleb turned to Sophia for information. She pointed out the door. "There's half a dozen downstairs that didn't join the fight outside, including Vladimir."

Caleb's eyes widened at the thought of House meeting up with someone as vicious as Vladimir. "You two get Kiara and bring her downstairs." Without further direction, Caleb took off at a speed not registered by the human eye, arriving downstairs just in time to find Vladimir with his fangs in House's neck and House hanging like a rag doll from his mouth.

Glancing up, Vladimir saw Caleb. He pulled his retractiles out and dropped House to the floor, grinning up at Caleb with House's blood around his mouth. He smirked and dragged his sleeve across his chin. "AB blood--delicious. I take it this was the famous fertile mortal?"

Caleb looked down and saw that Bart had been killed with a twist of the neck and then a piece of a wood chair through his chest. There were two other vampires that Caleb didn't recognize, dead with arrows through their chests. When he looked back, he wasn't sure if House was dead, but he saw no movement to indicate otherwise.

"Did Sophia tell you what I did to Kiara?" Vladimir egged Caleb.

"I saw your handiwork upstairs."

"Yeah, but sadly, what I did inside her you can't see. We had a great time."

Caleb bared his retractiles causing Vladimir to laugh.

"I should have sent you back to Sean when he asked." Caleb spat. He was about to jump on Vladimir, but a shot rang out, dropping Caleb to his knees. Caleb turned and saw Tobias with a gun in his hand about to shoot again.

"This is perfect. We're about to take down Sean out front and now I have you where I want you. Perfect." He raised the gun.

The sound of a bullet echoed through the cathedral ceilings of the villa, hitting the floor inches from Tobias's feet. Tobias looked up the stairs. Caleb used the distraction to cross quickly to Tobias, wrenching the gun away. The two stood, eye to eye. Caleb began to grin as Tobias realized that he was now inches from the most powerful vampire in the world. Swallowing hard, Tobias made a move to run, but Caleb had already grabbed him. Caleb's hands grasped around Tobias's head and twisted up like a bottle cap coming off a Coke. The tendons and muscles in Tobias neck severed so quickly that Tobias's head actually blinked as Caleb held it in his hands. Caleb threw the head across the floor and turned to see where the shot had come from. Sophia was standing on the stairs, shaking, a gun in her hand. She looked at Caleb as he raised an eyebrow in recognition of her action.

She turned the gun on Vladimir as she asked, "Are you okay, Caleb?"

He nodded, "The bullet went straight through my thigh, it's already healing."

Caleb looked up to the top landing and saw Yantze with Kiara, barely standing on her own feet. Yantze had propped her up under her shoulders and was trying to help her down the stairs.

The noise out front suddenly ceased. Either Sean had been successful or the entire invasion group had been annihilated. There were footsteps running through the villa. Caleb turned to prepare for battle when he heard the familiar Irish lilt.

"Caleb? House?"

"Here." Caleb called out to Sean as he rushed swiftly up the stairs, meeting Kiara on the middle steps. He reached up to her as she stood on the step above him, wrapping his arms around her. He whispered into her ear, "Darling. I'm so sorry, so sorry." He pulled back slightly to look at her.

There was a noise behind him.

Sean called out a warning, "Caleb!"

But it was too late.

Vladimir had used his speed to grab the crossbow, pulling it back with the full force of his vampire strength. The arrow flew through the air, piercing through Caleb's heart and into Kiara's, the two speared together in one swift action. Sean screamed out in horror as House opened his eyes. The picture of the two, chest to chest, speared by the arrow seemed surreal to House. He blinked to make sure he wasn't just imagining his wife skewered together with Caleb.

Caleb reached out to the rail to hold them up as long as he could, but he was losing strength. He looked into Kiara's eyes, smiled sadly and whispered, "I love you."

KIara smiled and nodded as they fell sideways together, rolling down the stairs to the marble floor in a heap, the arrow still staked through their hearts.

House, still lying on the floor and weak from blood loss, swung his leg out and caught Vladimir's foot from behind, bringing the vampire crashing unexpectedly down to the marble floor. Grabbing one of the arrows, House brought it down forcefully into Vladimir's heart in one magnificent swoop.

Vladimir struggled to pull it out in time, but House took out his gun and put it to Vladmir's temple as they both lay on the floor. Looking Vlad straight in the eye, House grinned and pulled the trigger, shooting Vladimir point blank in the head with a silver bullet.

Yantze and Sean wasted no time in yanking the arrow from Caleb and Kiara. Sean cut his wrist and began to feed Kiara. Sophia took the chard of a broken vase and cut her wrist too, placing it quickly between Caleb's lips.

"We _can't _be too late. It's only been minutes." Sophia cried out when she saw no reaction from Caleb.

Sean shook his head, "The tip of the arrow had flakes of silver on it. If any of the flakes are in their hearts, they won't heal."

Sophia cradled Caleb and started to beg, "Caleb, please, we can't live in a world without you. Come back to us. Please." She cut her healing wound opened again and put her wrist back into his mouth until she was too weak to give anymore blood.

House dragged himself across the floor to Caleb, ripped the shirt from Caleb's back and then turned him over so that he could see the wound. It wasn't healing. House wrapped his finger in the cloth from the shirt and then reached into Caleb's seeping wound. Pulling his finger out, he held the blood shirt up and showed it to everyone. There were tiny silvery flakes on the cloth.

"Sean, bring me some whiskey." House demanded.

Sean ran to the liquor cabinet and returned with a fifth of Johnny Walker.

House motioned to Sophia, "Sophia, help me turn Caleb over."

Sophia pulled Caleb over so that House could pour the alcohol into the wound. They all watched as House flushed the wound with the amber liquid. Silver flakes floated in the alcohol that poured out of the wound. House patted the wound with a clean cloth, removing the flakes.

Caleb gasped for breath, his eyes flying open. "Kiara?" Was the only word out of his mouth.

House turned and saw Sean cradling a barely conscious Kiara. "Banged up, but alive."

Caleb smiled and then closed his eyes again to rest. Yantze and Sean picked him up and carried his wounded body to the chaise to recover. Sean then carried Kiara over to the sofa so that she could see Caleb. Caleb opened his eyes in time to see Kiara blow him a kiss.

"Thank you." She said. Then she turned to everyone, "Thank all of you."

Sophia stayed back, afraid of what they were going to do to her.

Kiara held out her hand to Sophia. "Daddy, Sophia gave enough of her blood to me so that I could survive. She took care of me even though she could have been killed."

Sean looked over at the obviously frightened Sophia and held out a hand. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

Sophia's beautiful eyes brightened from her tears as she ran into Sean's arms.

Kiara looked over at House. "Daddy, can you give Greg some of your blood? He looks so pale."

Sean nodded, cutting his wrist once again to let House drink. "You can't take much, I'm a little weak from feeding Kiara."

House nodded, but was grateful. Despite his earlier burst of energy, House could feel himself losing the battle and was pretty sure that he was going into shock. Sean gave him more blood until House nodded that he was done. Pulling back his wrist, Sean helped House over to the sofa. Kiara pulled her legs up so that House could lie down at the other end. Once prone, Kiara climbed over and lay down on top of him, letting him hold her.

"Well, it appears that we have been successful." Sean said. Turning to Sophia he said, "Your mortals were a great help, as was your sect. Without them, we would have been grossly outnumbered."

Sophia grinned. "I'm so happy. You don't know how happy I am that they fought for Kiara and me."

"Several of them died, at least a dozen. I'm very sorry for their loss." Sean said, making the sign of the cross.

Sophia straightened up. "I better go out and let them know I'm alright and to make arrangements for the mortals who died." She walked regally out of the room towards the front of the villa.


	56. Chapter 38 Part I

**Chapter 38 Part I**

**Odds and Ends**

"Well, we know where to go if we ever need to get a loan--the bank of Riane and Caleb Sean House."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know if it's a good thing or not. The jury's out."

"Caleb's got a good head on his shoulder-- and after our Italian adventure I bet he's glad his head's still there—I don't think he's going to be as easy with the money as you think."

I was hunting under the bed for the box with my shoes. "Damn, I'll be glad when we finally get settled. I hate living out of boxes."

We had combined the households and moved into my townhouse near the hospital. I had returned to work part time from four am to eight am so that I had time with Jack at night and I could spend time with Riane in the morning when she woke up. Afterwards, when it was time for me to sleep, I took her back to the hospital for daycare and Greg brought her home with him. It wasn't perfect, but it was working for now. Greg kept suggesting we bring back the nannies. Although I was amenable to hiring them, I told Greg that I just wanted a few months on our own, without outside interference. He graciously agreed.

A few nights after we returned to Princeton, Caleb told us that his long, long, long life flashed before him when we were staked together. So he decided to make some changes. He set up a trust for himself and should he die, Riane and Jack would be the beneficiaries of his trust. They would inherit everything, a fortune massed over centuries. However, even if Caleb outlived them, he had set up a trust for both of them. When they each turned twenty-six they were going to be very, very, very wealthy, thanks to Uncle Caleb. He was the trustee of their trusts and would dole out their money as he saw fit. Greg thought that Caleb would be a wise and judicious trustee. I suspected that Caleb was going to be too generous and my children were going to be beyond spoiled.

The reality was that Caleb was as close to our kids as my Dad was, maybe even closer. So as not to be completely outdone by Caleb, my father added several pieces of property to a completely separate trust that he set up for the kids. I was to be the contingent beneficiary if I survived the children.

In the meantime, my husband proposed to me earlier that day at the hospital. Cuddy managed to corner and stall me in the lobby before I went home as part of the plot. I heard Greg's voice boom from above. Turning I put a hand over my eyes to pretend that I didn't know him. He was standing on the mezzanine leaning over dressed in a suit and tie. I was struck by how handsome he looked, his hair cut short to hide his bald spot, his eyes a glorious, playful blue and a grin stretching across his wide mouth.

"I've knocked up Kiara Larkin twice and now she wants me to make her an honest woman." He yelled so that everyone could hear. I was so glad that my father wasn't around.

Everyone turned to look at me, including patients who thought that this must be really juicy news. Cuddy was grinning.

"Kiara." He started walking down the stairs. "I'm not very good at admitting when I love someone, so you better pay attention. I've tried like hell to run away from you, to avoid you, to spurn you, to deny what I feel for you and it didn't work. Then I went to hell and back to bring you home. So, I hope you know that I love you. I can't promise that I'll be the best husband, but I'll be the right husband for you. I know your dirty little secrets and I'm really, really okay with them. So—"

He walked up to me with a red velvet ring box, opening it and displaying a single solitaire two carat Emerald cut diamond in a platinum setting. "Will you marry me?"

I was so red I could feel the heat pouring off my face.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes, "What are these secrets he's talking about?"

I shook my head. "I eat really odd food and he finds it disgusting."

Everyone was still looking at us.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, Greg, I'll marry you provided that you try and work with me on a schedule."

"Done." He leaned in and put his arms around my waist, bent me back Hollywood style and kissed me to a round of applause.

Cuddy clapped and then snapped, "Okay you two, get back to work."

I was still looking for those shoes to go with my green satin dress which went with my new head of red hair that I had paid for that afternoon at the beauty parlor. Greg wasn't sure he liked it. He preferred my natural strawberry blonde. I promised him that it would be my natural color by the time we were married…mortal style.

I found the shoes, we kissed the kids and went off to meet Cuddy, her date, Wilson, his date, Chase, Foreman, Taub, his wife, my father, Caleb, Sophia (now staying with my father), Mario and Yantze at Mezaluna for dinner (donors had been tapped before they left my father's house.) Greg let it accidentally 'slip' that my father had recently had plastic surgery. With the help of some stage makeup, a great makeup artist and some gray streaks added to his hair, we made my father look somewhat older, but I have to admit, he still looked as if he was only in his forties. But with the dim lighting and the great makeup job, he played the part convincingly. He was somewhat miffed at the idea that he was going to have to wear the makeup at the wedding knowing that he was going to take a ribbing from the vampires in attendance.

We were meeting everyone for dinner to celebrate our engagement. In my mind I was already convinced that we were married, but I understood Greg's desire to make it legal within the mortal courts, just as we had made sure that both children were legally his too.

Upon our return to Princeton, we had contacted Blythe by phone. She already knew about our children and had even spent time with Riane when Greg was engaged to Laura. According to Greg, his mother really got along well with Laura and _was very disappointed_ when the wedding fell through.

Despite Greg telling her that he had broken off the engagement because he wanted to be with the mother of his children, she had never expressed a desire to meet me although she had asked on several occasions to see Riane and Jack. I think she thought I had broken up the engagement, but there was no way I could make that up to her, so I figured I just had to be myself and see if she liked me. She was scheduled to come stay with us which had me extremely nervous since the house was still partially in boxes. I was nervous about the idea of a mortal mother-in-law living with my two semi-vampire children and me. My circadian clock was going to go nuts.

We had a blast at the restaurant, laughing and joking and opening funny engagement gifts including vibrators, handcuffs, a leash with Greg's name on it, and a pair of fake fangs which none of the mortals understood but which got the biggest howl from my side of the fence.

I couldn't believe how relaxed we all were. Greg, Caleb and my father were the best of buds and had even developed some inside jokes that I wasn't in on. I think Greg appreciated their history, intelligence and wisdom and respected them for being what he considered to be ethical vampires. More importantly, they were devoted to me and the children.

It didn't hurt that he discovered Caleb's extremely dry British sense of humor which worked well with his cynical nature. Greg also admired Caleb's mastery of several musical instruments including the harpsichord and lute. My father, despite his refined behavior, could be absolutely hilarious if you were part of his inner circle. Greg was beginning to find this out and had begun to hang out with him more often. It was strange to have my husband climb in bed laughing and burst out with, "Did you know what your father did? Said? Etc."

When the night was over, my handsome husband drove us home, his hot little hand running up my thigh to the crotch of my panties. His right hand was desperately trying to get past the elastic of my panty leg while his left was doing all the driving. To compound it, I had my hand all over his bulging crotch and was licking and biting his ear. I unzipped him and released his erection as we pulled into the street four blocks from our house.

"Oh!" he jerked and squirmed, "Oh. Oh! We're not going to make it home if you –oh, my God…wait. I have to pull over."

He pulled over to the curb and leaned back as my mouth pleasured him. I played with him until I thought we were getting close to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and then I pulled back.

"Drive." I demanded.

He came out of his stupor. "What?"

"I want a little action tonight…so drive! Let' go!" I yelled.

"You're not going to finish what you so started?"

"Yes, at home."

"You tease! But my balls are throbbing."

I started singing, "_Am I blue? Am I blue? Am I blue over you, am I blue?"_

"Not funny, skank."

"Ewww…I wouldn't go calling the woman whose mouth you want to put that thing in a skank, at least not yet."

He smiled over at me as he pulled out into traffic. "Christ, zip me up so I can run into the house when I get there and then jump your ass on the floor of the living room."

"Right, with the babysitter and Jack sitting there watching."

"Maybe the babysitter will join us, but Jack's going to be a problem, he doesn't like to share."

We got inside and managed to pay the babysitter thirty bucks and shoo her out the door into the arms of her dark haired, tattooed, boyfriend who had arrived to pick her up.

Greg shook his head. "If Riane shows up with some guy like that, I'm sewing her legs shut."

"Oh, and what if he shows up looking intelligent, with brilliant blue eyes, brown hair and a loud mouth like yours?"

"Crap, we can't win." House said.

"Let's have sex and forget about it."

"I knew there was a reason I wanted to marry you—you're a slut."

"So, let's get Jack upstairs to bed. It's about time for his nap."

I went over and reached into the playpen, picking my smiling baby up. His hair was getting long now and I'd soon have to take him in for his first haircut. It was a sweet milk chocolate brown that was straight on top and started to curl around his shoulders. His eyes were the same glorious blue of his father's. He had grown several inches and was quickly catching up to the 90th percentile. I followed the baby books and he was several months ahead when it came to dexterity and mental development. I was very proud of him. He seemed to be the vampire version of his father. He wasn't chubby, but looked well formed with long limbs and fingers. People frequently stopped me and told me how beautiful he was. They were right.

"Come on Pumpkin, time to go to bed. Tomorrow you get to greet your grandmother." We began to walk upstairs.

Greg sighed like a man about to face the firing squad. "Be prepared, she's going to moan and groan about not seeing Riane for over a year and not meeting Jack at all."

"Which reminds me, why? Why haven't you taken the kids to see her?" I put Jack down on his new big boy bed. Now that he could walk, he was climbing out of his crib and had an unfortunate fall from the rail. It was time he was sleeping lower to gravity.

"No time. I was going to one weekend when I had them but I had a patient. She was scheduled to come up another weekend but she came down with shingles. Still, she's a nice person and she'll be polite. I know that once she warms up to you, she'll forget all about Laura."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, right." I was suddenly feeling depressed and anxious, wishing I could run home to Daddy.

"Sex?" He said with twinkle in his eye.

"I don't know. I've suddenly lost my desire. I feel like I should stay up all night cleaning."

"Nah, we'll just put Mom' in the basement apartment, it's clean."

"Like hell. She's come all this way to see us, she'll want to be upstairs with you and the kids! I'm putting her in the guest room. Oh, Greg, what if she hates me?"

"Hate you? Well, if she hates you it's not like your side of the family where you'd wake up with two puncture wounds and not know where you've been, _if you wake up…_"

"My father treats you like family and you know it."

"Uh, yeah, now he does. But, it was a little shaky in the beginning and that's what I'm saying. Give my Mom a chance, okay?" He began taking off his shoes and clothes in the hall.

"I will—the question is if she will! Hey, don't leave those clothes there!"

He looked at the shirt and t-shirt on the floor next to his sneakers. "I'll pick it up tomorrow."

I stopped, put a fist on my hip and raised an eyebrow. Greg stuck out his tongue at me, but picked up the clothes and carried them into the room behind me.

I looked over at the clock. It was two am and I was seriously thinking about going downstairs and vacuuming but knew vacuuming would keep House awake. Jack would only be down for an hour or so and then up for his final meal before going to sleep around four or five.

I put on a short nightgown and climbed in bed. Greg made a move, but I swatted his hand away. "I know I've been horrible, teasing you, but I need a little sleep before Jack gets up. If I'm going to be coherent when your Mom gets here I need some sleep.

"Ah, come on. You aren't going to leave me like this are you?"

I couldn't see it, but I assumed he was talking about a hard on. "I'll make it up to you. Now go to sleep." I rolled over and closed my eyes, trying to block out everything. I was just about asleep when I felt the bed moving, kind of like a vibration. I heard a wet sound and realized immediately what was going on. Sitting straight up, I turned on the light and looked over at him.

Deer in headlights, hand on shaft.

"Greg! I'm right here! You're beating off while I'm trying to sleep?"

He didn't remove his hand as his shoulders shrugged. "You're a woman, you don't know how it feels to get this worked up and not have any relief."

"Oh!" I swore under my breath and jumped up, stomping downstairs. I figured if he was going to beat off, I might as well get some cleaning done.

I rolled up the carpets and began polishing the wood floors in the entry hall and living room. I was down on my knees with my butt in the air when I felt a presence. I looked over my shoulder.

"You do know you don't have any underwear on?" He said grinning.

I tried to pull the gown down, but wasn't having much luck. I sat back on my heels so he wouldn't be staring at my butt and took a deep breath.

Greg grinned, "Look, I tell you what, just crawl over to that chair and lean over the arm, I promise to be gentle."

"In essence, you just want me to give you a target to aim at?"

"Seems the least you could do after that ride home."

I gave him a look of disgust.

"I can be in and out in a matter of minutes." He said, genuinely thinking that I would be amenable to that.

"Greg!" I have to admit I took one look at the hard on growing under his boxers and gave it some thought. It seemed the decent thing to do after all my teasing. I shook my head, but stood up and leaned over the arm of the chair.

He grinned, trotting happily over to the chair and dropping his boxers. He pushed my gown up over my shoulder and fiddled between my legs until he found what he was looking for. "Spread your legs a little more."

I did as he asked and felt the wet tip of his shaft stabbing around, looking for a home. I shifted my pelvis and he found it, slipping in slowly. I could see him in the mirror in front of us. He was standing, legs slightly apart, his head back and eyes closed as he slid in and out slowly, sensually. I was going to mention that he said it wouldn't take long when he leaned over and grabbed my breasts in his hands and squeezed hard. Standing up again, he looked down and slapped my ass a few times over and over before picking up speed.

I realized that by watching him, I was starting to get turned on. I could hear his thighs slapping against my butt as his rhythm picked up.

I couldn't help it. "Oh God, yes, yes, yes."

He stopped in the middle of his stroke and looked down at me, head cocked. "Uh, are you participating now?"

"Shut up and keep screwing."

He grinned and started up again. Only this time he reached around and started to pleasure me at the same time. It felt incredibly hot. The angle made him feel even thicker than usual and his finger was hitting every button in just the right rhythm. He pulled out and I pushed back, we exploded together over and over until I dug my nails into the opposite arm of the chair and pulled, ripping the chenille as I screamed out, coming harder than I had in a long time. I looked up into the mirror and saw Greg's face contract and his mouth form a silent 'O'. He pushed in several times, his fingers hanging onto the flesh of my hips. He stopped, looked at me in the mirror and then fell over onto my back laughing. I started laughing too which meant that we both missed the sound of the front door opening and were oblivious until a woman's voice called out.

"Greg? Greg? It's Mom, where were—" She turned the corner into the living room and stopped, mouth wide open. Greg froze for a few seconds before quickly pulling up his shorts. I was still tilted over, now too embarrassed to straighten up and greet her. Greg looked down and quickly pulled my gown down over my butt.

She ran out the front door.

I started crying. "Oh, great. Now I'm a slut."

"You can't be a slut we're married."

"She doesn't know that we're married. She just thinks we're engaged."

I could see it dawned on him that we still hadn't gone through the mortal ceremony. "Yeah, but she knows we're adults with two kids."

"Screwing doggie style over the arm of a chair isn't exactly the way I wanted to be introduced to my mother-in-law."

"Christ I better go after her. I thought she was getting in at one tomorrow afternoon."

"Obviously you misread one am for one pm."

He ran up and grabbed his Levis. As he was running down the steps he asked rhetorically, "Why the hell would she take the redeye? She was taking a military hop." He paused and hit his forehead. "Oh, crap. I bet she was able to get an earlier one and somewhere on my cell phone or answering machine is a message telling me to pick her up. I've got to go find her."

**Dear Readers: For the last week I have been having trouble replying to some of your reviews. It keeps stating that I have already replied even though I know I haven't. I asked one of our readers through an email to respond to some of them. I hope you don't mind. Don't be alarmed if you get a reply to your review from me that's sent by someone else. I can't even click on my story and get it to come up. Luckily, the document manager is working or you wouldn't be receiving any updates. I've sent in a request for help. Thanks, Gorblimey2**


	57. Chapter 38 Part II

**Chapter 38 Part II**

**Odds and Ends**

He was out the door in search for his mother. My stress levels were now shooting through the roof. I looked around, grabbed my cleaning gear and put it away just in time to hear my son at the top of the stairs crying his heart out for someone to pay attention to him.

"Honey, I'm coming up. Don't cry sweetie." I reached the top of the stairs where he was standing and picked him up noticing that you could land a plane on his bottom lip, it was sticking out so far. I took him into my bedroom so that I could get dressed. "Jack, I'll feed you just as soon as Mommy gets dress, now stop crying."

Huge wail.

I couldn't believe it. I had gone from having a wonderful night of friends, family and sex to being the horrible mother and woman who smelled like sex. I started crying. Strangely, it had the effect of shutting Jack up. I took that as a sign that I should take advantage of his silence and run a shower. As I quickly grabbed clothes from the drawer, I heard the door close downstairs and the muffled sound of Greg's voice. Jack watched me as if I was a cartoon program running around the room at lightening speed. I took a three minute shower, rushed out with my towel to make sure Jack hadn't gone off and found Greg sitting on the bed with him.

"Mom's in the guest bedroom and she thinks you're a slut."

"Ahhh!" I cried out.

"Joking, joking. She realized that she came in without knocking."

"She's family, she shouldn't have to knock."

"Oh, come on, the infamous social contract says that if you don't knock then you might just get an eyeful."

"Fine, but she just got an eyeful of her son drilling his 'girlfriend.'"

He winced. "Yeah, but from her angle she didn't actually see any genitalia."

"Oh, that's wonderful. That makes all the difference. I'm sure in her mind we were just playing wheelbarrow and you got to be the farmer plowing the fields, right?"

He gave me one of those House looks of 'okay-you got me.' "Alright, alright. She's a little mortified right now, but I have an idea."

"What?"

He swallowed hard and looked down at the floor. I knew I was in for a real doozie. "Could you bite her? Make her forget about tonight?"

My chin dropped to my chest. "You want me to feed off of your mother?"

He rubbed his neck and grimaced, "Just a teensy weensy bit. You said Jack needs some blood."

"You want Jack to feed off of his grandmother?"

"Hey, it's all in the family and it would mean we could all go back to square one. The image of me plugging you from behind wouldn't be permanently burned into her psychic memory."

"I don't believe this." I grabbed Jack and went downstairs so that Greg could sleep. I was feeding Jack his dinner before his bedtime when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. They were too light to be Greg's so I knew I was about to meet my future mother-in-law. My heart started pounding and I unconsciously pulled Jack into my lap and waited as she turned the corner into the kitchen.

She was in her cotton nightgown and a blue chenille robe, her brunette hair was a little mussed but not much. Her eyes flew open, "Oh! I didn't think anyone would be awake at four in the morning."

I cleared my throat and nodded, "Jack was hungry so I fixed him some sausage and mash."

Blythe came over and stared at Jack who stared back just as intently. "My God, he's the spitting image of Greg at that age."

"Really?"

She smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek. "I can't believe that I haven't met my Grandson until now."

The way she said it to me wasn't pleasant; it was more like being chastised. I felt like I needed to defend myself. "Sorry about that, but we had to go to Europe on family business. We've been gone for eight months."

"Well, I'm not getting any younger and it would be nice to spend time with my grandchildren."

I nodded quickly. "Yes, of course."

"Greg told me you are a doctor too?"

"Yes, a hematologist. Uh, can I get you something?"

"I just came down for a glass of water."

I got up, letting Jack down on the ground. He stood looking up at his grandmother with his big blue eyes. Blythe smiled at him and then reached down to pick him up.

"Watch it; he's heavier than he looks." I warned.

Jack was clearly not sure that he wanted this stranger to pick him up. He furrowed his brow and gave his grandmother a worried look. I was fairly sure that he was about to cry. I wanted to cheer him up, make him perform for his Grandmother, but it was almost his bedtime and he wasn't exactly at his best.

I heard the pitter patter of tiny footsteps above us, a door open and then silence. Blythe looked over at me for an explanation.

"Riane's going in to sleep with Greg. She wakes up sometimes and crawls in bed with him…us." The reality was that I was usually awake with Jack when she made her run into the bedroom and I frequently had to straighten her out in order to get into bed when Jack went to sleep.

I handed the glass of water to Blythe and smiled. There was no smile in return.

Letting Jack down, she took a tall drink of the water and then looked straight into my eyes. I shuddered at how cold I felt.

"I'm going to be honest with you because that's how I am. I didn't like the fact that you broke Laura and Greg up. They made a lovely couple and she made sure I had time with Riane when they were together. I'm not happy that you've kept my grandchildren from me. I'm sorry that I walked in on …well, that I didn't knock last night, but still, it's completely irresponsible for two adults to have sex in their living room when they have two young children running around. In short, I have serious doubts about Greg marrying you."

I had to sit down, the room was spinning and I was pretty sure I was going to cry.

"I'm sorry to be so blunt." She inspected me. "You look pale. Can I get you something?"

I shook my head. Where did I go wrong? Greg's friends had told me how nice Greg's mother was and how much I was going to like her. But I could tell that before I even met her I was already the home wrecker, the slut and the woman who kept her from her family.

Despite my obvious discomfort she didn't stop, "I hope that we can get past this later on, but right now I'd prefer that when Greg visits, he come with just the children. I think you and I are going to need a little distance in the beginning. I'm sure it will be easier later, but for right now I'm not that happy about him marrying you."

I took a deep breath. "What have I ever done to you? It was Laura who came between Greg and me! And it's not like we planned on having sex down here, the urge just took over and Greg…" It occurred to me that I was talking to Greg's mother about his sexual urges. "Well, he couldn't control himself. The children were asleep. And I told you, we had to go to Europe for some family business. I didn't keep your grandchildren from you on purpose."

"Perhaps, but that's the impression you've given me. And look at this, Jack is still up at four-thirty and Riane is running around upstairs climbing into bed with her father. You shouldn't let the children dictate their sleeping habits. This is what happens when you leave childrearing to nannies."

I was shaking with anger. I know she meant well and I could see how all these things had come together to form the perfect storm, giving her the wrong impression about me, but essentially the woman was calling me a terrible mother and a whore. My retractiles dropped and she screamed out, held her chest and stepped back away from me. I had no choice now; I was going to have to bite her.

I tried to be as gentle as possible, gripping her in my arms, but she fought back, scratching my face and screaming. Jack started crying. I bit her as fast as I could to calm her. After injecting the drugs to anesthetize her, I gingerly lowered her to the floor holding her head in my lap as I fed.

"Jesus Christ!" Greg screamed.

I looked up and saw Greg, holding Riane, staring in horror at me feeding off of his mother. I pulled my retractiles out and shook my head, "I had to! She saw my retractiles."

"Get off my mother!"

"But you were the one who suggested it!"

"Yeah, but I had imagined you'd sneak in and do it in the comfort of her bed, without waking her, not knock her down and scare her half to death."

I looked at Riane, who seemed more curious than upset. Jack just wanted me to hold him. "I have to inject her with the serum to make her forget and then…" I trailed off and watched as Greg turned to look away. I was as precise as I could be, injecting her in the same site that I had fed so that she would only have small, barely noticeable wounds. When I was done, I gently laid Blythe's head on the wood floor and cradled my son until he was calmed down. He touched the corner of my mouth where there was some blood and licked it off his fingers. Crawling out of my lap, he went over and stood over his grandmother's neck looking down at the puncture wound.

He pointed down at her, "Eat?"

"Oh, God, that's disgusting." Greg said under his breath.

I gave Greg a dirty look and turned back to Jack. "No, honey. We don't drink blood from Grandmom." I reached up and grabbed a knife from the counter and cut my wrist, letting Jack have a good long drink until he was no longer interested in his grandmother's neck. Greg was squatting over his mother, checking her vitals. I motioned for Riane to come over and let her have a drink too from my wrist. I figured we should get it out of the way before Blythe recovered.

"Okay, Riane, take Jack upstairs and Mommy will be up to tuck him in soon. You pick out some clothes to wear today, but don't put them on. You need to go back to sleep for a few hours and then daddy will get you up."

"Mommy, I don't want to sleep." She said, her face crumbling into frustration.

"Sorry, pumpkin, but we all need a little more sleep."

Greg was still bent over his mother. He sighed and shook his head. "Her heart is strong and she appears to be okay."

"Her blood tasted fine. I didn't detect anything wrong with it. Come on, we have to at least get her into the living room. You grab under her shoulders and I'll get her feet."

We had a few mishaps getting his mother's dead weight down the hall, but eventually we had her warmly tucked in on the sofa. I put a glass of water next to her along with a magazine rolled back to look like she fell asleep reading.

Greg was standing in his pj bottoms and a t-shirt observing the scene I had staged.

I shrugged and mumbled, "Well, at least she'll only think I'm a home wrecker and a mean cruel woman who kept her away from her grandchildren. She won't think I'm a whore."

"What?"

I explained to him what she had said.

Greg seemed to take it better than I did. "That's my fault. I never told her that you and I had been more or less living together when I started dating Laura. And I haven't been very good at keeping in touch, letting her know where we were and why we hadn't been down to see her. I can see where she got the wrong impression. But, as far as controlling the kids' sleeping habits, well we both know that ain't gonna happen."

"I need some sleep. Can you get Jack down? I'll make sure that Rianne gets back to sleep. She's probably already back in our bed."

He nodded. I went up and, as expected, found our darling daughter in the middle of the bed with the sheet pulled over her head pretending that she wasn't there so I wouldn't make her go back to her room. I chuckled and crawled into the bed.

"Oh! What's this?" I said as I patted all over her body. "It's warm and wiggly!"

There was a giggle.

"And giggly!"

She threw back the sheet and shrieked with glee. "I fooled you Mommy, I was here all the time!"

"Oh you little minx!" I grabbed her and hugged her and then eased up. "Now it's time to get back to sleep."

It was clear to me that she was wide awake. I turned her around and did my best to mesmerize her. It seemed to work, she slowly fell into a light slumber. A few minutes later Greg crawled back into bed too.

He looked over at me. "Mission accomplished."

"Great, now, let's see if we can all get some sleep."

"How did I get here?" Blythe asked House over the steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

House took a drink of his own coffee and cleared his throat. "Well, after I picked you up from the base, you said you were having a hard time sleeping these days so I gave you an Ambien and went to bed. You said you were going to stay up a little and read before the pill kicked in."

"Wow, it must have worked because I can't remember anything about last night."

Greg smiled, secretly relieved. "Well, Ambien can do that. You know Mom, there's something you should know before meeting Kiara." He fidgeted a little in his seat before looking her in the eye. "I was living with Kiara when I started dating Laura. I cheated on Kiara and left her when Laura and I decided to get married. Kiara was the victim, not Laura. It was a mistake. I soon realized that I loved Kiara, not Laura, and that I needed to be with her and our children. I'm happy, Kiara makes me very happy and you know that's not an easy task."

Blythe watched her son with a mother's eye and could see that he was telling her the truth. "Then why am I just now meeting her and my grandson?"

"That's my fault too. I should have told you that Kiara had a family crisis over in Europe, several of her extended family died and she spent a lot of time in Scotland dealing with it. I should have flown you over to Scotland to meet her and the kids, but it was a pretty sticky situation. I'm sorry."

"I was really hurt that you hadn't let me meet my grandson."

"I really am sorry, Mom. But, I hope you don't take it out on Kiara. She's a good person, a great Mom and the only woman to keep me on my toes."

A smile broke out on her face, "I've got to meet this woman."

"Well, when she wakes up, you will. Oh, and there's something else you should know. The kids have a genetic disease, inherited from Kiara's side. They have a form of porphyria. They can go out in the sun, but they aren't comfortable in it. In fact, Jack prefers being awake at night, it's more comfortable for him. So, Kiara gets stuck with a pretty crappy schedule. She stays up with Jack, get Riane up and works on the graveyard shift. She's a real trooper."

"This disease, can they cure it?"

House grimaced, "Nope. Jack's going to be a night owl all of his life. Riane is more comfortable in daylight. She only has a mild form of the disease."

"Poor baby. I can't wait to meet him."

At seven am, little lips covered my lips and gave me the softest kisses in the world. "Mommy?" She whispered, trying to wake me and yet not trying to wake me. "Mommy?"

I opened an eye, "What?"

"I'm going downstairs."

I could smell coffee so I knew that Greg was up without even looking over to his side. "Fine, honey. You go downstairs, Mommy needs a little sleep."

Pitter patter and off she went.

At nine am, I figured if I didn't get up, my mother-in-law would think I was lazy. The warm shower felt great against my tired body. After digging around in my closet, I found some loose jeans and a long sleeved ribbed top in a taupe. I figured that I looked pretty conservative. My hair was still wet, but I didn't like using the hair dryer unless I was going out somewhere, so I just combed it into place. I looked in the mirror and took a deep breath before walking down the hall to check on Jack. He was sound asleep in his little bed, looking like an angel.

I walked downstairs and put on my best daughter-in-law smile before turning the corner into the kitchen. Greg looked up from his coffee and smiled at me, waving me over. Blythe turned in her chair and gave me a warm smile. I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Sweetheart, this is my Mom. Mom, Kiara."

I shook her hand and then hugged her when she stood up.

"I'm so glad to meet you. Greg's been telling me all about you. He said you were up all night with Jack. Are you sure you don't want to go back and sleep a little longer? I can look after Riane."

Her demeanor was night and day. I wasn't sure what Greg had said to make the difference, but I could feel my shoulders relax. "No, it's fine. I'll try to catch up on my sleep tonight. How was your flight?"

"I don't really remember it! The last thing I remember is getting in the shuttle to go to the airport."

I nodded and went over to get a cup of coffee. When I sat down Rianne came over and crawled up in my lap.

Riane pointed to Blythe's neck. "Mommy, Grammy has bite marks."

My stomach turned. "So, how did you like your room?" I asked, trying to deflect her attention from her neck and knowing full well she wouldn't remember her room.

"I'm sure it's fine. I fell asleep on the sofa." Despite my attempt to distract, her hand reached up to her neck and felt the two puncture marks. "I did get bitten! Feels like two bites. Greg, does it look okay?"

"Mommy bit you." Riane said with all the innocence of the two and a half year old she was.

I smiled and tried to explain, "I pretend to bite her on the neck sometimes when we're playing." I reached down and gummed Riane's neck and tickled her, pretending to be a monster.

Blythe tweaked Riane's nose and smiled at her.

"It looks okay Mom, it just looks like an insect bite. I could give you some Benedryl but you'll be groggy." Greg said trying to keep a straight face.

"No, it's okay, it doesn't hurt." Blythe turned to me. "I snuck a look at Jack a few minutes ago and he is the exact replica of Greg at that age. Really, they could be clones."

Greg grinned at me.

I mumbled jokingly, "Poor kid."

**Dear Readers...the next chapter is the final chapter plus I wrote an epilogue for Thanksgiving. So essentially you'll have two more chapters. Please leave a review and let me know if you've enjoyed the story. Thanks.**


	58. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

**My Way or the Highway**

Surprisingly, the rest of the week with Blythe was very pleasant. Blythe was a Godsend when it came to helping out with the kids. She was a little upset that Jack seemed to be on his own clock, but since I spent most of the nights taking care of him, she was very protective of my time in bed in the mornings. I was actually getting enough sleep.

My father stayed away, knowing that if Blythe saw him she'd be confused over how young he looked. This meant that I had to pack the kids up one night and make a command performance over at the manor so that Daddy could play with them. I'd never seen a man more devoted to his grandkids than him. And because his body was so young, he had more endurance than Greg and me.

Blythe and Greg had gone out to dinner with Wilson and by the time they returned, Riane was in bed and Jack was playing blocks in the library where I was crashed out on the sofa. After settling down on the couch and chairs, Blythe watched Jack play.

"Are you having anymore?"

I shook my head. "I almost died when Jack was born. My doctor, Caleb Burberry has advised against it.

"Oh, dear. I didn't know that." She glared at Greg for apparently not sharing that fact. "I understand. I'm just over the moon that I have two grandchildren and that Greg is engaged. When is the wedding?"

I looked over at Greg.

He chuckled, remembering the wedding in London. "I don't know. Fangs, when is the wedding?"

"I guess we have to ask Father Morgan."

There was dead silence.

Blythe cleared her throat. "Father Morgan?"

I looked at the two of them and realized they were stunned. "He's my parish priest here in Princeton."

Greg gave me a look that said I was bonkers. "A Catholic wedding?"

"Yes, a Catholic wedding."

"Whoa, we had it your way before. Don't I get to pick my poison?"

I realized that we were on our way to a lively discussion and I didn't want to do it in front of Blythe. "Let's talk about this later, when Jack is in bed." I pulled the ol' 'not while the kids are here' trick and it worked.

"Okay. But tonight," he growled.

"Fine."

Blythe looked down at Jack and chuckled. "He's bright eyed and bushy tailed. I've never seen a kid with his clock so messed up."

"Well, in my family it's how we've lived for decades. I've always had a hard time staying awake in the mornings. I used to stay up into the wee hours of the morning when I was a kid. I just felt better sleeping during the day and staying awake at night. Jack has been like this since he was born."

"Believe me, Mom, we've tried just about everything we could to get him to sleep during the day. It doesn't work."

She seemed to believe Greg, the uber-doctor.

We had our 'alone time' and as soon as the door was closed, Greg attacked.

"No! I'm not going through a Catholic wedding."

"Well, then you'll just have to be satisfied with the vampire one."

"My Mom, my friends, the State of New Jersey don't recognize the IOV. We're going to get married by a judge or justice of the peace at your Dad's house in the ballroom. No priests, no Catholic mumbo-jumbo."

I pouted, "Then I don't want a wedding. Let's just go down to the registrar and have them marry us. No guests, no family, just you, me and the kids."

"You don't want a wedding reception or white dress or any wedding presents?"

"Yes, I want that if it means we can have a Catholic wedding. But, since you won't participate, let's just go down to the registry and get it over with."

"Great! I'm all for that. It will save us thousands."

"My father would have paid for the wedding."

"Really?"

"The bride's family does in Ireland."

"Well, now he doesn't have to."

"So, when do you want to go down and tie the knot?"

"We need a license. That will take awhile. So let's go apply for the license tomorrow. They'll issue it in seventy-two hours and then we can go back and get married."

I shrugged my shoulders and climbed in bed, pretending not to care.

He climbed in behind me and nuzzled my neck. "Want to fool around?"

"Not with you." I said in my ice queen voice.

"Ouch. This is because of the Catholic thing. Are you ever going to sleep with me again?"

"Not in this lifetime."

He laughed and then turned over on his side, falling to sleep in minutes.

Xzxz xzxz xzxz xzxz xzxz xzxz

"I filled out the application on line and now we just need our passports." He said, holding up some papers he had just printed out.

"Not a problem, I have mine in the library." I said without inflection.

"Mom said she'll watch the kids."

"Well, then, it's all settled, right?" I said in a tone that I hoped conveyed my indifference to him.

We drove down and waited a brief period of time before being called up to the counter. We provided the documentation, paid the fee and walked out with a paper saying we could pick up the license in seventy-two hours.

"We don't have to go right back. We could pop over to the Marriott and get a room and—"

"I have to go back to work tonight." I said, deadpan.

"Sure." He snickered, amused at my tone of voice.

We drove back home and I took a nap before getting up and getting ready for work. Blythe went home the following day, extracting promises from us to visit.

I gave Greg the cold shoulder for the next few days. On Friday morning he showed up with the license and dangled it in my face as I was sleeping. "Get up. I made arrangements at the recorder's office to get married at eleven thirty. Wilson is going to meet us there."

"It's ten thirty now! I can't get the kids ready and dress myself—" I was about to go on, but my darling daughter, dressed in her pretty white and blue taffeta dress came bouncing in twirling to show off the dress and party shoes.

Greg grinned and twirled Riane. "The kids are ready, it's just you."

"Mommy, we're getting hitched!" Riane squealed.

I looked at Greg who shrugged.

"She had a hard time with the word 'married'. Come on darling, get that gorgeous bootie up and get ready."

I had been ambushed and he had called my bluff. I got up, showered, put on makeup and then went to my closet. I pulled out a cream colored suit and cream pumps. After putting on my diamond studs, I indicated without saying anything that I was ready to go get married.

By the time we got Jack out of the car seat and into his stroller, we were already five minutes late, but the registrar clerk didn't seem to mind. I held Jack, Greg held Riane and Wilson stood behind Greg. Another registrar signed as the second witness and within five minutes we were married.

I wanted to stay angry and silent, but I was too moved by the fact that we were officially married in the eyes of the laws of mortals. Greg didn't feel as if the vampire ceremony meant that much, but he was a little teary when he said, "I Guess" in response to the registrar's question of whether he agreed to be bound to me.

I started grinning when everyone congratulated us. Stepping out into the hall, Wilson shared his well wishes and then begged off because he had several appointments that afternoon. I kissed him on the cheek and thanked him profusely for keeping our family's dirty little secrets.

He just hugged me and said, "We all have our quirks, yours just happens to be a little scary." He kissed Riane on the cheek, waved goodbye and took off.

We were standing outside in the cold wind, Jack asleep in Greg's arm, Jack's face scrunched up from being exposed to the sun. Riane was dancing around so she could see her skirt twirl and Greg holding my hand as we watched her dance. I saw a businessman walk by and stopped him.

"Sir, we just got married and I was wondering if you would take our photo?"

He nodded and took the camera from me. I picked up Riane and held her. She gave the camera a big grin. Greg slipped his arm around me and we posed for the camera. I heard the digital click and then thanked the stranger.

Looking at the viewfinder I had to smile. We were a strange little family with strange needs and desires, but we were a family. I squeezed Greg's hand and said, "Let's go home, honey."

"Sounds good to me."

The End.

**Dear Readers, Thank you so much for reading the story. I would greatly appreciate your feedback in the form of a review. Thanks for sticking with the story to the end. There is one more chapter, an epilogue that I wrote as a Thanksgiving present for the Fox Forum boards. I will post it tomorrow. Again, thank you for reading. When you leave a review, let me know what country you' re living in...thanks and happy holidays! Kim**


	59. EPILOGUE

**Epilogue – Gratitude**

"Do we have to wait until six? I'm starving."

"Greg, you married a vampire. You know my family can't get here any earlier so why do you always ask that?"

He grinned, "Because I know it pisses you off."

"I'm so glad that your Mom is here. The kids love her. Do you think she's okay outside? It's pretty chilly."

"She's bundled up like an eskimo, so don't worry. Thank God Jack finally woke up. I thought Mom was going to implode if she didn't get to hold him."

I went over to the window and looked out. Blythe was kneeling on the brown grass tying Jack's hood around his neck and talking to him. She pulled him to her and gave him a kiss and then let him go play on the playset with his sister.  
Riane was getting prettier every day. She was also the brightest kid in her nursery class, having mastered her numbers to tweny-five, her colors, her alphabet and her house/tree/family portrait which currently hung on our cork board (damn magnets wouldn't hold it to the Stainless Steel refrigerator.) I was very proud.

Jack on the other hand was a lazy sod, letting his sister do all the talking for him. He'd mumble and we'd try to figure out what he was saying. Before we could get him to repeat it, his sister would promptly interpret for us. I started to rely on Riane to do Jack's talking even though I knew I wasn't doing Jack any good by doing so. It was just so expedient. Jack was brilliant and charming. He knew just when to smile and just when to pout. He was wonderful at getting his own way. But, he wasn't a bad kid, he was just a brilliant manipulator like his father. Still, he made all of us laugh with his antics. He'd make funny faces at the table, dance his toddler butt off and try desperately to sing for us although it sounded a lot more like donkeys braying.

Blythe came in with the kids just as I put the turkey in for roasting. We were having Thanksgiving for the first time at our house rather than have the servants make it at Daddy's. I didn't want Blythe to think I was a spoiled brat that didn't know how to peel a potato or bake a pumpkin pie. My father had grumbled, upset that he was going to have to 'age' himself. But, I think he was secretly excited about having a 'real' American Thanksgiving where his extended family gathered around a much smaller table and ate food cooked by the family (me) themselves. In his mind, it was going to be a Norman Rockwell painting with him at the head of the table as the patriarch cutting the turkey.

Everyone had migrated into the kitchen, which happened to be one of the larger rooms in the house. Greg was opening a bottle of wine. Jim was sitting at the island waiting for House to pour the wine. I was peeling the sweet potatoes and Blythe was rolling the dough for the pies.

"Ow!" I cried out. Blood started pouring profusely from the cut in my knuckle caused by my daydreaming while peeling the sweet potatoes. I grabbed a towel to put around it.

Jack came over to me and pulled on my pants to get my attention. Looking up with his big blue eyes, he grinned and chirped, "Blood, Mommy?"

"What did he say? Did he say blood?" Blythe asked, her brows knitted together in bewilderment.

"Oh, yes, he sees that I've cut myself."

"Let me see that." Greg unwrapped the knuckle. It was still bleeding.

I leaned forward. "I'm going to go into the bathroom and let Jack feed off of it. I'm sure he's hungry."

Greg nodded.

"Come on Jack, come help Mommy bandage her knuckle."

Jack happily followed me, running to catch up. He kept opening his mouth wide like a little chick waiting to be fed by its mother.

"Wait, honey. Wait until we get into the bathroom."

Once inside the bathroom, I let him suck off my knuckle. It was already starting to heal, but he seemed to be satisfied with the few ounces he got. I turned to look for a band aid in the medicine cabinet when Jack escaped out the door. I thought nothing of it until I realized that he probably had blood on his chin and lips. Blythe would have a heart attack if she saw him.

"Greg!" I yelled.

"What?" He yelled back from the kitchen.

"Jack…he, uh…he needs to be cleaned up a little."

"Yeah, we know. Wilson's wiping his mouth right now."

I put the band aid on as quickly as possible and then ran into the kitchen. Blythe was cutting the dough for the pies and Jim had a wet paper towel and was wiping Jack's face.

When Jim's eyes met mine he sighed deeply and shook his head, "There Jack, I got that Koolaid off your chin. Now go play."

"Thank you, Uncle Jim."

Jim tweaked Jack's nose and let him run off.

Greg handed Jim his glass of wine and grabbed his guitar, entertaining us with several songs. Jim took over the peeling and I went and took my shower. When I returned, the pies were ready to put into the oven and the sweet potatoes were cooking along side the Yukon Gold potatoes.

Blythe, Greg and Jim were sitting around the kitchen island talking when I went over and poured myself a glass of sherry.

"Where is your father coming from Kiara?" Blythe asked

"Uh, he's just fifteen miles away, but he has to pick up Caleb from the airport." (Lie, lie.) "Caleb gets in around four. They'll drop off the luggage and let Caleb get a shower before coming over. I suspect they'll be here around five to five thirty."

"Caleb seems to be a very nice and very generous man. I can't believe the trust fund he gave to Riane and Jack."

"He spoils them rotten." I said truthfully.

Greg moaned, "Yeah, he gets to play Mr. Nice Guy and we get to be the terrible ogres that tell the kids when to go to bed and to brush their teeth."

Jim snorted. "Well, that's the difference between being an 'Uncle' versus a parent."

"Yeah, well I guess being a parent has its perks. I get the peanut butter and jelly kisses and the leg across my throat in bed."

I laughed along with Blythe. Just as I sat down I heard screaming break out in the next room. Riane was definitely not happy with something Jack had done.

"Give it back! Give it back!"

I ran out and saw Jack dragging the doll Caleb gave Riane around the room by the hair. He was giggling and tormenting his sister.

"Caleb Sean!" I used my 'mother is mad' voice.

Jack stopped in his tracks and looked over at me, his eyes wide and lips turned down in fright.

"Caleb Sean, you give your sister back her doll and I _never_ want to see you doing this again. That doll is very special and is not meant to be thrown around." I said it through my clenched jaw, giving him the distinct impression that he was within an inch of losing his life.

He broke out into tears. Riane walked over, grabbed her doll and slapped Jack upside the head. Jack's wailing hit a crescendo.

"Riane!"

I heard laughter behind me. It was Greg. I turned and glared at him.

"Hey, he deserved it."

"Greg! Stop encouraging her." I went over and took the doll away from Riane. "For hitting your brother you don't get your doll back until tomorrow."

Now both kids were crying, tears streaming down their little cheeks.

I put the doll up on top of the television armoire and motioned to Greg, "You calm them down; I'm going back to my sherry."

Within a few minutes there was peace in the valley and Greg made an appearance back in the kitchen.

"You're on Riane's shit-list." Greg said triumphantly.

"Why?"

"Because she wanted to show Caleb her doll's new dress."

I rolled my eyes. "She'll live. More importantly, she'll think twice when she goes to hit her brother."

"He deserved it."

"House! You don't want your kids hitting each other." Jim said.

Blythe shook her head at her son. "You see, this is the problem with you being an only child. You never learned how angry your siblings could make you. If you let Riane start hitting her brother every time Jack does something to her, he's going to be perpetually bruised."

Greg shrugged. "I suspect he'd learn to hit back."

"Yeah, just what we want." I said sarcastically.

The lull in preparation was over and we were back in the thick of the final preparations of the dinner when the front door opened and in walked the conquering heroes and Sophia.

Kisses were exchanged and large brightly wrapped presents were given to the children by Caleb and my father.

"You two have to stop giving them things. They're going to think that every time someone walks through that door they'll get a present."

Caleb chuckled. "They're good kids, Kiara, stop worrying."

"Uncle Caleb, Uncle Caleb!"

"Yes, yes, Riane?" Caleb said, sweeping her up into his arms and giving her a big kiss. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck as she smothered his face with little girl kisses. Riane and Jack were so fond of Caleb that I almost felt sorry for Greg. He was right in many ways. It seemed unfair that Caleb and my father received so much adoration for simply walking through a door when Greg was their teacher, doctor, parent, disciplinarian and wage earner, receiving nothing more than a quick kiss when he walked through the door at the end of the day.

Taking off their coats, my Dad and Caleb both carried a child around with them while sharing greetings with the adults. My father now had Riane while Caleb was holding Jack. It was funny how both of the men had favorites. Oh, you'd never know it unless you knew them intimately. They gave both kids a lot of affection and genuinely loved them the same. But they each related in a special way to one of the kids. Riane had that bond with her grandfather. She still liked to take her naps in his coffin with him when we went over to the manor. Caleb and Jack spoke the same language. Caleb didn't need Riane's interpretation to understand him.

"Presents?" Riane asked, clearly wanting to open the gifts brought by Caleb and her grandfather.

"In a minute." I responded. "Let your Grandfather and Caleb get settled."

After we managed to get Daddy and Caleb a glass of wine, we all wandered out to the library, which was more like our family room, to watch the kids open their gifts.

Riane was quicker than her brother, having had a good year of experience on him. She managed to pull the gown and tiara from the box within seconds. The gown wasn't a Disney costume package, it was a hand sewn replica of a dress I once had and which I wore for a portrait that hung in our estate in Ireland. I wasn't the only one flabbergasted by the gift.

Blythe quickly recognized the quality of the dress and shook her head. "That's meant for her to play dress up in?"

Caleb smiled and nodded.

"It's such a beautiful dress for her to use at playtime."Blythe's voice gave us no doubt that she disaproved.

Caleb laughed, probably because he was remembering me as a child running around the manor in dresses just like this, playing with my friends and getting into trouble. "Oh, I'm sure she'll take care of it. Besides, if she doesn't take care of it, it's her loss and she'll be the one to suffer."

Riane, who loved dresses and costumes, held the dress to her body and twirled. Putting the dress down, she ran to Caleb and threw her body at him to smother him with more kisses which Caleb pretended to be trying to get away from, but was obviously enjoying.

Jack, in the meantime, had brought his gift to me for assistance in opening. We opened it to find a pirate's outfit, including a wooden saber, professionally carved and painted. I slipped the pirate's patch over my eye to Jack's delight. He reached up for it with his little fingers. I took it off and put it over his eye. Parading around the room he stopped for each adult to make a comment.

"Arrrrg." Greg growled. "You have to learn to talk like a pirate!"

Caleb motioned for Jack to come to him. "Come here, mate, let me put your swash-buckle on."

Jack carried his costume to Caleb, who helped dress him. He looked so cute that I ran and grabbed the camera to take a photo of the two of them in their costumes.

"You know Acushla, seeing Riane in that dress makes me realize that she does have some of your looks. I remember that summer when there was an outbreak of smallpox—"

"Yes, Daddy, she looks like I did in my Halloween costume you bought me when I was a little girl."

Daddy quickly realized that he had almost blown it. Smiling and nodding he sat down on the leather wingback chair. "Okay, you two. Do you want to open my gifts?"

They ran to Daddy and grabbed them from him with lots of squealing. Riane was given a beautiful vanity set of solid silver. I quickly recognized it as my Grandmother's set, meaning that it must have been made sometime in the early 19th, possibly late 18th Century and worth an absolute fortune.

Blythe gasped. "Oh, Riane, that's very pretty. You must take great care of that because it's very easy to break if you're not careful honey." Blythe looked up at her son as if she couldn't believe that a small girl would be given such a valuable gift.

I wanted to tell her that these were the things I was surrounded with as a child. They didn't seem like antiques to us, they were simply the vanity set that sat on my Grandmother's dresser until she died and then were put unceremoniously away. We saw them as everyday items.

Riane looked at it and brought the horse-hair brush over to me to use on her hair. I brushed her hair and then held up the silver mirror so she could see her lovely hair set off by the pretty tiara. I made a mental note to ask Caleb later if the jewels in the tiara were real or paste. I didn't want Riane giving away a diamond tiara to a friend in exchange for a Barbie doll.

Jack was given a small train set. It was 'N' scale, fairly small. It was made in the fifties. Collecting model train sets had been my father's passion for a decade back in the fifties.

My father smiled at Jack, "I'll give you more pieces as you get older, Jack rabbit."

Jack took the set to his Dad, who sat down in the middle of the floor putting it together.

I could see that Blythe disapproved of this over-generous gift giving. She had no idea that she was sitting in the company of two men who had amassed huge fortunes over decades and centuries of living. They had no idea that they could simply buy Riane a new Barbie and Jack a K-mart cowboy outfit and they'd be just as happy. I had to laugh, it all seem so absurd.

"Well, now that the wealth has been redistributed to the young, is there any chance we might get fed?" Greg asked.

I jumped up and went to the kitchen to check on the food. Taking the turkey out, the Butterball instructions said to wait twenty minutes before carving. I divested the turkey of his stuffing and then began mashing the potatoes. Within half an hour the pies were in the oven baking as Sophia, Blythe and myself, shuttled the food to the table. It took everything in me not to tell Sophia to sit down. It felt strange having a queen wait on mortals and my family. But Sophia didn't seem to mind at all and I think, from the happy smile on her face, she was enjoying it.

We sat down at the table and I looked around at my family. Jack was between Dad and Caleb. Riane was between her father an Blythe. Sophia was on the other side of my father and next to me. Blythe reached up and grabbed my hand and Riane's, bowing her head. Somewhat surprised, everyone else did the same. Sophia, my father and I all made the sign of the cross as Blythe gave the blessing.

"Dear Lord, thank you for the gifts you have bestowed on me and my family and our friends. We are all grateful for the food on our table and the love in our hearts. Amen."

It was simple, but rather moving. I was indeed grateful for the love in our hearts. I grabbed a bowl and started passing. Platters were passed, butter was spread, the turkey and ham were carved. As the sweet potatoes passed through Caleb's hands he looked at me and gave me a loving wink. I smiled back.

Caleb cut up Jack's food for him. Riane insisted on trying to do it herself. She was pretty good at it, but I could tell that both Blythe and Greg were nervous watching her with a knife. By the time the food was eaten and the pies served, we were all moaning from being so full. I gave the kids a bath while two kings, a queen and two mortal doctors, cleared the table and washed the dishes. Blythe was ordered to go put her feet up.

We put Riane down to sleep and let Jack come back downstairs to watch a DVD while the adults went into the living room and played Trivial Pursuit. I had purchased numerous boxes of trivial pursuit cards and we allowed each person to pick their question from whichever box they preferred. Greg liked general knowledge. I chose the Silver Screen box and the vampires chose various periods of the twentieth century. Surprisingly, Wilson won because he was picking from the Star Wars cards and seemed to know everything there was about the Star Wars saga.

It was a lovely night. Blythe excused herself around ten and went to bed. Greg fell off at one am. I managed to get Jack down at four am just before the vampires went home to crawl into their coffins.

Caleb insisted on taking some of my stuffing home, reminding me that it had always been his favorite. As I gave them all kisses and closed the door behind them, I felt a lump in my throat. If someone had told me four years ago that this would be my life I would have given them a psychotropic drug.

But it was my life. I stopped in the middle of the living room, surveying the Trivial Pursuit boxes and wine glasses, chuckling at all the teasing and joking that had been bantered around during the evening. It had been a fun night with family and friends, a night I knew would be repeated at the holidays for years to come. I swallowed back tears of contentment, looked up to the ceiling and said a silent prayer of thanks.

_The End (really)_

**Dear Readers: This is it. Thank you for reading and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this story. If you like the occult or sci-fi type story, you may want to start with my time travel House fic, _Breeder_. Or you may want to read about the psychic and House in the story, _Intuitive_ and its sequel, _Betazed_. Thanks again and please leave a review (plus your location!) Bye! Kim**


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